Hetalia Actually
by IsaacTheGreat
Summary: It's pretty much Love Actually but with the human versions of the countries. Typical relations may or may not apply. Austria/Hungary/Prussia, Germany/N. Italy, Spain/S. Italy(Romano), England/America, Russia/China, Denmark/Iceland, Denmark/Norway, Iceland/Netherlands Sweden/Finland, Estonia/Latvia
1. Chapter 1

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.

General opinion started to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere.

Often it's not particularly news worthy but it's always there.

Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.

When the plane hit the twin towers, as far as I know, none of the calls from people on board were messages of hate or revenge; they were all messages of love.

If you look for it, I have a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.

Arthur closed his eyes as the music started up, getting into the groove, dancing a little on his stool.

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes, Love is-"Alfred cringes; he did it again. "All around me, and so the-"The music stops and Arthur looks at Alfred on the other side of the glass. His headphones ring as Alfred reaches for the intercom and he cringes slightly. "I'm afraid you did it again Artie." Arthur sighs in exasperation. They've been in this studio for hours trying to make a new cover of one of his old hits.

He wasn't an idiot though, he knew this was complete bullshit and that the only reason he was going through with this was because he needed the cash. He looks at Alfred again. "It's just I know the old version so well, you know…"

Alfred smiles at him and Arthur can see his manager is just as tired of this as he is. "Well, we all do; that's why we're making the new version!" Alfred makes a face as if to say 'I know this sucks but we gotta do it!' Arthur shakes himself, preparing to start again. "Right, okay let's go." The music starts up again and Alfred smiles, sitting back in his chair.

"I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes," Alfred leans forward, a smile on his face. "Love is all around-"Alfred and the other two sound guys deflate. He did it again. "Oh fuck, wank, bugger, shitting arsehead and hole." The backup singers who've been here just as long dealing with this mess are starting to look uncomfortable. "Start again." The music starts up for what must have been the hundredth time that day.

"I feel it in my fingers; I feel it in my toes." Alfred is dancing along with Arthur, who's trying to _not_ get lost in the music so he can _remember the bloody lyrics._ "Christmas is all around me-"Alfred's arms shoot up and a huge smile lights up his face. The man finally did it! "And so the feeling grows. It's written in the wind, it's everywhere I go." Both Arthur and Alfred are dancing, getting into the groove of the new-old song. "So if you really love Christmas, come on and let it snow!" Arthur sobers up and looks at Alfred.

"This is shit, isn't it?"

Alfred looks like he's about to start laughing when he leans into the intercom and says, "Yup; solid gold shit Maestro!" Arthur chuckles. Maybe being in this studio all day wasn't so bad. After all, Alfred was here.

 **A/N: it's occurred to me that some people aren't as familiar with the names as I am, so I'll be putting the characters name in relation to the country here at the bottom. If you're confused on any names, just take a quick scroll down to the bottom!**

 **Alfred Jones: America**

 **Arthur Kirkland: England**


	2. Chapter 2

It's 5 weeks to Christmas, and I can already see lights strung from every building, Christmas trees being taken home to be decorated, and children getting in line to see Santa. The streets are bustling with people wanting to get their shopping done quickly, and the ice rink is alive with couples, families, and friends all wanting to have a good time. A thin blanket of white covers the city, and musicians are out on the corners hoping to get some tips to bring home to their loved ones. I can feel the joy and the anticipation in the air as everyone goes about their daily lives.

Bertram runs frantically around the room he shares with his love Erik. He opens drawers, digs through piles, and throws things across the room as he rushes to get ready for the big event.

Roderich is getting married and he is going to be late!

"God I'm so late!"

Erik sits on their shared bed, hands linked around his legs and a fluffy sweater on. "It's just around the corner, you'll make it."

Bertram pulls his jacket out of their wardrobe and pulls it on, looking at Erik with hesitation. "You sure you don't mind me going without you?" He walks up to the bed to stand over Erik. "No really, I'm just feeling so rotten." He says with a straight face. Bertram bends down and cups his face, kissing him on the forehead. "I love you." Erik pulls away slightly, opening his eyes to look up at Bertram. "I know."

Bertram looks Erik in the eyes, taking on a serious tone. "I love you even when you're sick and look _disgusting_." He kisses Erik again, this time on the lips, and Erik pulls away with a snort. "I know, now go, or you will _actually_ miss it!" He stands up and pushes Bertram towards the door. "Right!" He walks out of the room, only to return a moment later with a large smile and mischief in his eyes. "Did I mention that I love you?" Erik looks up at Bertram and scowls half-heartedly. "Yes you did, now _get out_ loser _."_ Bertram smiles and leaves.

 **A/N:**

 **Bertram: Denmark**

 **Erik: Iceland**

 **Roderich: Austria**


	3. Chapter 3

Sometimes our love can be too great, and it ends up hurting us. I feel so much sorrow for those who have lost loved ones. Whether it is to war, illness, or an accident, nothing hurts more than losing someone you hold dear prematurely. The big question for most of those who have lost someone is; how do I fill that hole they left in my heart?

Berwald sits at his desk in his brightly lit office. Despite the rather cheery outward appearance, he only feels sadness. He picks up his phone with a sigh and dials the number of the only person he can think to talk to.

"Yao, it's me ag'in. 'm s'rry, I lit'r'ly don't h've 'nybody else to t'lk to."

From the other side of the city, Yao sips his coffee and sets it back on the island in his kitchen. "Absolutely, aru. Horrible moment though, can I call you back, aru?" He walks through his kitchen into the walk in cupboard. " 'f co'rse." He comes out with a bell pepper and sets it on the counter. "Doesn't mean I'm not terribly concerned that your wife just died, aru." As soon as the words left his mouth he cringed. Way to be supportive, Yao.

Berwald huffs a laugh, thinks for a moment, and, "'nderstood. G' on th'n, call me lat'r." He hangs up the phone and puts his fist to his mouth, trying to staunch the overwhelming feeling of grief surging up.

Yao turns to his daughter. "So what's the big news, aru?" Lin Yi looks up at her father with bright eyes. "We've been given our parts in the nativity play," Yao gasps loudly, flailing his arms for dramatic effect. "And I'm the lobster!" She smiles, looking so proud of herself, and Yao looks at his daughter confused.

"The lobster, aru?"

"Yeah!"

"In the _nativity_ play, aru?"

"Yeah, first lobster!" Lin Yi puts her fists on her hips, looking proud of herself.

"There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus, aru?" This all sounded ridiculous. No doubt the director's way of trying to include everyone, but really? A _lobster?_

Lin Yi looks at her father as if to say 'are you that stupid?' and just says, "Duh!"

 **A/N:**

 **Berwald: Sweden**

 **Yao: China**

 **Lin Yi: Taiwan**


	4. Chapter 4

Some people want to be loved so bad, they spread their own love too thin. They wish to be loved by everyone because they have no one to call their own. I think these people are the most in need of love, and the most in need to be taught how to use their love, so that they may use it correctly.

Francis walked into the busy office with a basket full of snacks. Phones rang and people bustled around, but he paid no mind to them. He had his eyes set on a particular girl at the moment.

He walked by a man who looked like he needed a pick-me-up, so as an after-thought he threw the man a sandwich, calling a "Best sandwiches in Britain!" Over his shoulder as he continued his trek through the busy office space.

He reached the girl, a nice petite blonde he's seen around for a few months, and reached into his basket for a pack of mixed nuts. He hands them to her, saying, "Try my lovely nuts! Honhonhon~" She just takes the nuts from him and turns back to her work. He continues on. He comes across a woman with caramel skin and dark hair pulled into pigtails by red ribbons. He pulls out a muffin and sets it on her desk. "Beautiful muffin for a beautiful lady!" He smiles, and she shakes her head, turning around in her chair. He continues on, coming across the boss's secretary. He folds his hands together and smiles kindly at her. "Morning, my future wife~." The woman turned to look at him. She had a modest figure, full lips, and long silvery hair. She scowled at him before turning and walking into her boss's office. Francis' smile falls off his face; he nods and turns to leave. Struck out again.

 **A/N:**

 **Francis Boneffoy: France**

 **Secretary (Natalia): Belarus**

 **Woman with Pigtales: Seychelles**


	5. Chapter 5

Sometimes, one finds love in the most peculiar of places. In any romance movie, the protagonist would run into their soul mate within the first half hour of the movie. Most of the time they start out hating each other, but sometimes, they're instant friends. However, in real life, a lot of relationships start out with a simple conversation.

Lovino checked his watch as the man above him kept humping him into a pillar. Some jobs just weren't the best, but whatever paid the bills. A voice called out, "Okay, you can stop there." And snapped Lovino out of his thoughts. The other man straightened up and took a step back, allowing Lovino to straighten up. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the next direction or to be told he could leave. The other man turned to him and cleared his throat, and Lovino turned his scowl over towards the man, who smiled warmly.

"By the way, he introduced me as Anthony, but everyone calls me Antonio."

Lovino rolled his eyes. He didn't care; not like they'd ever see each other outside the studio.

"Oh fine. Nice to meet you I guess, Antonio. He got my fucking name right, I'm just Lovino."

They shook hands and the Spaniard's smile brightened. "Great, Just Lovino!" He laughed and Lovino sighed. This was going to be a long day.

 **A/N:**

 **Lovino Vargas: South Italy**

 **Antonio Fernandez Carriedo: Spain**


	6. Chapter 6

I find the most love-filled moments to be weddings. You have two people swearing to love each other no matter what, for the rest of their lives. Then there are those in the audience. The old couples, who see the newlyweds and remember their wedding. The young couples not quite there yet but just as in love and just as happy. The children whose hearts are still young and innocent enough to love everything and everyone. I think weddings are one of the best places to find love.

Roderich stood next to his best friend - and now best man – Gilbert, as he waited for his soon-to-be wife to come through the big oak doors. His chest felt both light and heavy, like he was a balloon filling with helium ready to burst. Gilbert had his usual cocky grin, and it made Roderich suspicious.

"No surprises?"

Gilbert looked at him, and his smile turned more genuine. "No surprises."

"Not like the stag night."

Gilbert sighed. "Unlike the stag night."

Roderich looked at Gilbert. "Do you admit the Brazilian prostitutes were a mistake?"

Gilbert winces and nods. "I do."

"That it would've been much better if they'd not turned out to be men?"

Gilbert grimaces. "That is true." He looks at Roderich and smiles as the wedding march starts and shakes his hand. "Good luck kiddo." He turns to grab his video camera as Roderich faces the isle. The doors open up, and Elizabeta walks in with a smile on her face, looking absolutely beautiful.

 **Gilbert Beilschmidt: Prussia**

 **Roderich Edelstein: Austria**

 **Elizabeta Hedervary: Hungary**


	7. Chapter 7

There are several types of forbidden love. For instance, you can't love anyone in your immediate family in any other way than familial. You also can't love your employees or your boss. In some places, you can't love anyone of the same gender or of a certain ethnicity. I think it's a shame that people put such limitations on a limitless emotion.

The roar outside his car was deafening as Ludwig drove up to the building. He had just been named Prime Minister and was now heading to work. As he stepped out of the car, someone shouted for his attention and he threw up a wave before turning to head inside. Just before the door, he turned around and raised both hands in a wave. The door opened behind him and he stepped in, thanking the man who opened it. Kiku, his secretary, was waiting for him. They shook hands, and Kiku smiled. "Welcome Prime Minister." Ludwig let out a gust of air. "I need to work on my wave. How are you?" Kiku nodded. "How are you feeling?" Ludwig faltered. "Er….. Cool. Powerful." He straightened his jacket and squared his shoulders.

"Would you like to meet the household staff?" Ludwig nodded. "Yes, I would very much like that. Anything to put off actually running the country." Kiku let out a quiet laugh as he led Ludwig through another door where three people were waiting for them. Kiku stopped in front of the first man; a man with messy brown hair, muscled arms, and a warm smile. If it weren't for the wrinkles around his eyes, mouth, and on his forehead, you'd think he was in his twenties or thirties. "This is Roma. He's in charge." They shook hands and Ludwig smiled. Roma laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good morning, sonny!"

"Good morning. Had an uncle called Roma – hated him – I think he was a pervert. I very much like the look of you though." Kiku was trying not to laugh, hiding his mouth behind a hand as they moved on to the next person. "This is Laura." Kiku said as he calmed down. Ludwig shook her hand. "Hello Laura." She smiled, playing with the green ribbon in her dirty blonde hair. "Good morning sir. I'm the housekeeper."

Ludwig nodded. "Oh, right. I should be a lot easier with me than with the last. No naps, no teenagers, no scary wife." He chuckled and they moved on to the last person. He was a young man with tanned skin and bright auburn hair, part of it sticking out in a weird curl. "And this is Feliciano. He's new, like you." Ludwig shook his hand and Feliciano smiled. "Hello Feliciano."

"Hello Ludwig! I mean, sir. Merda, I can't believe I just said that! And now I've gone and said shit. Twice. I'm so sorry, sir!" He looked genuinely concerned, and it made Ludwig smile. "It's fine. You could have said 'fuck', and then we'd be in real trouble." Feliciano smiled and nodded. "Thank you sir! I did have an awful dream I was going to fuck up on the first day." Ludwig shared a look with Kiku as Feliciano realized what he said and covered his face with his hands. "Oh, Dio dannazione!" Ludwig laughed. From off to the side Ludwig heard Kiku talking. "Right. I'll go get my things, and then let's go and fix the country, shall we?" Ludwig nodded, still looking at Feliciano. "Yes, alright." He walked away, leaving the trio to themselves.

Ludwig turned around, taking one last look at Feliciano, who was upset at himself for messing up so horribly in front of his new boss. Laura put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright!" They were whispering to each other, and by this point Ludwig had continued on his way. "Did you see what I did?" Feliciano asked in a distraught voice. Laura just nodded. "Yes, I did." Feliciano stuck his tongue out as though he had tasted something foul.

Kiku and Ludwig walked into another room with a desk, and Kiku gestured at it. "I'm right over here," Ludwig nodded and looked around, spotting a large oak door open to a nice looking office. "Yeah, I'm here. Okay, good. Thank you." He walked in, shutting the door behind him and sighed. "Oh no, that is so inconvenient."

 **A/N:**

 **Ludwig Beilschmidt: Germany**

 **Kiku Honda: Japan**

 **Roma (Vargas but no relation in the fic): Ancient Rome**

 **Laura: Belgium**

 **Feliciano Vargas: North Italy**


	8. Chapter 8

"In the presence of God, Roderich and Elizabeta have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They declared their marriage by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife." The priest was kind of a weird one. He was a serious type, with a stoic face and hard blue eyes. He also had long blonde hair that reached past his hips.

Roderich and Elizabeta looked at each other, smiled, and kissed. Everyone in the benches started clapping as the wedding march started, and Roderich turned to Gilbert. "You resisted the urge for surprises." Amusement was in his voice as Gilbert shrugged. "Yeah, I'm mature now!" Roderich took Elizabeta's hand and they began to walk down the aisle as everyone still clapped and cheered for the newlyweds.

Suddenly, there was singing.

"Love, love, love. Love, love, love." The curtains in the alcoves opened up to reveal a choir pointing to the couple. Elizabeta turned to Roderich and smiled. "Did you do this?" Roderich just stared up at the choir. "Uhm…. No." They turned, and saw Gilbert smirking, videotaping the whole thing. He noticed them staring and just shrugged, trying not to laugh. The couple turned back to the choir. A man walked out of the curtains to stand beside the organ with a mic.

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done. There's nothing you can sing that can't be sung. There's nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game. It's easy. All you need is love." Trumpets popped up out of the back rows of benches, startling the couple. "All you need is love." Flutes stood up in the middle on the left, and Roderich laughed. Everyone in the church was craning their necks trying to see the man better and there wasn't a face in the entire building that wasn't smiling or laughing. "All you need is love, love." More instrument players were standing up, until about half of the audience was actually an orchestra of saxophones, French horns, flutes and the like. Gilbert high-fived the priest. "Love is all you need..." A man on the electric guitar popped up above a pillar and Elizabeta laughed.

Bertram walked at a brisk pace back to the house he shared with Erik. He shut the door and set down his keys just as his brother Govert walked into the room. They looked at each other, both equally surprised. Bertram laughed. "Hey bro! What the hell are you doin' here?" Govert shifted. "Oh I just erm….. Popped over to borrow some old CDs…."

Bertram scoffed. "And Erik let you in?"

"Uh, yeah…."

"Lovely o-obliging young man, isn't he?" Govert chuckled.

"Just thought I'd come by really quick and see if he was doing any better. This is good."

Govert shifted again, his gaze trailing down to the floor. "Oh."

"Listen, erm, I've been thinking. I think we ought to take Mom out for her birthday on Friday. What do you think? I just feel we've been bad sons this year." Bertram shrugs, looking at his brother, who laughs lightly.

"Okay, sounds fine. Boring, but fine."

Suddenly a voice from the back of the house.

"Hurry up big boy! I'm naked and I want you at least twice before Bertram gets home!"

Oh.

Seems Erik is doing better.

Okay.

 **A/N:**

 **Govert: Netherlands**


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone was dancing, socializing, and having fun. There were some people there Elizabeta hadn't seen in a long time, and she was catching up with them while Roderich spent some time with his family.

Elsewhere in the room, Francis was walking around with a plate of appetizers for the guests. He walked up to Gilbert who was still filming the party. "Delicious delicacy?" Gilbert looked at the platter then back to his friend. "Franny if I didn't know you better I'd say you poisoned these to try to play doctor with one of the ladies." Francis laughed. "Non, mon ami. I didn't make these." Gilbert looked at the platter again. "Good, they look disgusting."

He continued on and walked over to a redhead on the phone. "Taste explosion?" The woman shook her head and he walked away. He saw a fairly attractive blonde woman standing alone against the wall and walked up to her. "Food?" She just stared at him. "No thanks."

She didn't seem very interested, but Francis never gave up. "Yeah, a bit off-putting, isn't it? Looks like a dead baby's finger." He stares at the platter, takes one, and pops it on his mouth before gagging and putting it back on the platter. That is not sanitary. "Mon deu, tastes like one too! I'm Francis, by the way." She looks at him disinterestedly. "Mona."

Francis smiled. "Fantastic. What do you do, Mona?"

"I'm a cook."

"Do you do weddings?"

She stares right at him. "Yes."

Francis laughs awkwardly. "They should have asked you to do this one!"

Her stare turns into a glare. "They did."

Francis' voice becomes strained. "God, I wish you hadn't turned it down."

"I didn't."

"Right…."

Francis sat down heavily at the table, setting his (still full) tray down with a metallic thump. "I've just worked out why I can never find true love!" Ralph looks at him, exasperated. "And why is that, mate?"

Francis looks at Ralph like he's an idiot. "English girls! They're stuck up, non? I'm primarily attractive to girls who laugh, who have fun! Like the Americans. So I should just go to America! I'd get a girlfriend there instantly. What do you think?" Ralph, who had waited until Francis was done talking to speak, responded candidly. "I think its crap, Francis."

"That's where you're wrong! American girls would love me with my cute French accent!"

Ralph sighed. "You don't have a _cute_ French accent!"

"Yes I do!" Francis slammed his palms on the table and stood up resolutely. "I'm going to America."

Ralph looks up at Francis with a serious expression. "Francis, you're a lonely, ugly asshole. Accept it."

Francis simply shakes his head. "Never. I am Francis, god of sex. I'm just in the wrong country, that's all!"

 **A/N:**

 **Ralph: Australia**


	10. Chapter 10

Antonio walked up to Lovino as they were finishing setting up the lighting for today's scene work. "I thought I wasn't going to make it! The traffic was awful." Lovino sighed. He did not want to deal with this today. "Unbelievable."

The AD walked up to the two and turned to Lovino. "Lovi, could you take the top off this time? Lighting and camera need to know when we're gonna see the, erm, nipples and when we're not."

Lovino growled. He hated being called Lovi. "Yeah, fine. Right. At least it's fucking warm in here."

Antonio smiled. "Not always the case is it? I was standing in for Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet. Freezing!" The AD rushed over to them. "Sorry, guys. Time's tight and we have to get the actors in."

Lovino scowls. "Fine."

Antonio smiles. "Promise I won't look~!" Lovino blushes and turns around removing his shirt. From off set, they hear the director call to see something again, and the AD returned. "Tom says you need to uhm, put your hands on his chest?"

Antonio smiles, "Yes yes, of course." He looks down at Lovino, who's taken position against the pillar again. "That alright with you?" Lovino scowls. "Doesn't fucking matter, it's our job." Antonio falters. "Right…." He blows on his hands and rubs them together, "Gotta warm 'em up!"

He puts his hands on Lovino's chest and the AD is back. "Er…. Massage the…. Please…." Antonio nods and rubs his hands over Lovino's chest, making him bristle. He takes deep breathes, reminding himself that it was just a job and it doesn't matter and Antonio's hands really shouldn't be turning him on.

"It's Junction 13 that's just murder isn't it?" Lovino sighs. "Total gridlock this morning!"


	11. Chapter 11

Berwald stood in front of family, friends, and loved ones as he held the funeral for his wife Tino. He was already out of tears. Or more accurately; the fresh tears hadn't come yet. "T'no 'nd I had a lot of t'me to pr'pare f'r this m'm'nt. S'me of his r'qu'sts, f'r inst'nce, that I sh'ld br'ng Cl'dia Sch'ffer 's m' date t' the f'n'ral," he chuckled slightly at the memory, "I was c'nfid'nt he exp'cted me t' ign're. But 'thers he w's pr'tty damn cl'r ab'ut. Wh'n he first m'nti'ned wh't's ab'ut t' h'ppen, I said, "'ver m' de'd b'dy." 'nd he s'id, "N', B'rw'ld, 'ver m'ne."" He smiled and looked at his palms. "'nd as us'l, m' d'rl'ng w'fe... 'nd P't'r's d'rling m'm was right." He glanced around the room and saw those he knew. His brother Yao, his stepson Peter, and Tino's parents. "So he's g'ing t' say his f'nal f'rew'll t' y'u n't through m' b't, 'nevit'bly, 'ver s' coolly, thr'ugh the imm'rtal g'nius of the B'y City R'llers."

Berwald took a deep breath as music blared from the speakers and tears pricked his eyes. The music made some people smile, which was good.

Other men started to walk toward the casket and Berwald moved to join them as they all lifted up Tino's body and carried it down the aisle. A tear slid down his cheek as he walked by and everyone stood. He couldn't help but feel the music was mocking him with its cheery tune as he walked out the door and to the hearse.

 **A/N:**

 **Tino Vainamoinen: Finland**

 **Peter (who's last name is supposed to be Kirkland, cannonicly): Sealand**


	12. Chapter 12

As Elizabeta and Roderich danced together happily, Gilbert sat at a table alone, watching them. A young man saw this and sat next to him, turning to him suddenly and asking, "Do you love him?" The question threw Gilbert off and the only thing he could get out was a perturbed "what?"

He suddenly got very nervous and started to wave his hands back and forth as he explained. "No, l-I just thought I'd ask the blunt question in case it was the right one and you needed someone to talk to about it and no one had ever asked you so you've never been able to talk about it. even though you might have wanted to." It was Gilbert's turn to get nervous as he tried to ward off any impression he might have been giving. "No. No. No is the answer. A-absolutely not."

The other man smiled as Gilbert's gaze wondered over to his two friends again. "So that's a no then?"

Gilbert nodded. "Yes." He searched for a new topic of conversation before this could get any more awkward. "This DJ, what do you think? The worst in history?"

The other man nodded gravelly. "Probably. I think it all hangs in the next song."

Suddenly the DJ's voice came over the speakers. "Now here's one for the lovers. That's quite a few of you, and I shouldn't be surprised and a half." The song Puppy Love starts up and the two men groan.

"He's done it, it's official."

"Worst DJ in the world."

The next day, the same stranger was at work.

Natalia knocked on her boss' door and entered. Ivan turned around from gazing out the window and gave her a questioning look.

"Raivis is waiting for you." She said with a smirk. Ivan stood up straight. "Oh, yes yes. Uhm…." He held out a finger, signaling her to wait. "Good, good…." He set down the papers he had been holding and turned to his assistant. "How are you doing, Natalia? Settling in fine? Learning who to avoid?"

The woman smiled at him. "Absolutely."

It was then that the man from the night before, Raivis, walked in. "Ivan?"

"Raivis. Switch off your phone and tell me exactly how long it is that you've been working here."

Raivis shook with anxiety and sat down across from his boss. "Two years, seven months, three days, and I suppose – what? – two hours?"

Ivan nods. "And how long have you been in love with Eduard, our enigmatic chief designer?"

Raivis could feel the hair standing on the back of his neck. His boss was scary. "Um…. Two years, seven months, three days, and I suppose, an hour and thirty minutes."

Ivan nods. "I thought as much."

Raivis looks at Ivan with worry. "Do you think everybody knows?"

"Yes."

Raivis bites his lip. "Do you think Eduard knows?"

"Yes."

Raivis shakes his head, wincing. "Oh that is….That is _bad_ news."

Ivan shrugs. "Why is it so…. I thought the time had finally come to do something about it, da?"

Raivis blinks at his boss. "….Like what?"

Ivan gives him a deadpan look. "Invite him out for a drink then after about 20 minutes, casually drop in to the conversation the fact that you'd like to marry him and have lots of sex and babies." He smiles.

Raivis splutters. "You know that?!"

Ivan rolls his eyes. "Yes, and so does Eduard. Think about it, for all our sakes. It's Christmas."

Raivis gets up, flustered. "Certainly. Will do. Good. Thanks, boss." Just as he's walking out, Eduard walks in the door, blocking his path. He takes a step back.

"Hi Raivis."

Raivis is as stiff as a board, with his eyes locked onto his shoes. "Hi Eduard."

Eduard walks in fully, shuffling around some papers, and Raivis leaves the room.

As soon as the door closes behind him, he puts his hands to his chest and winces. He's brought out of his headspace when his phone goes off. "Babe. Absolutely, fire away. Natalia. Natalia. Can you turn that down? What is that?" Natalia shrugs, smiling, and turns back to her work.

 **A/N:**

 **Raivis Galante: Latvia**

 **Ivan Braginsky: Russia**

 **Eduard Von Bock: Estonia**


	13. Chapter 13

"That was the Christmas effort from the once great Arthur Kirkland! Oh dear me, how the mighty have fallen. I can safely put my hand up my ass and say that is the worst record I have ever heard this century!" The DJ looks over toward the booth and sees his sound guy gesturing to his news letter. He looks down and sighs. He fucked up. "And coincidentally, I believe Arthur will be a guest on my friend Ike's show in a few minute's time! Welcome back, Arthur."

"So, Arthur. Welcome back to the airwaves. New Christmas single, cover of Love Is All Around." Arthur sighs. "Except we've changed the word 'love' to 'Christmas'." The DJ nods. "Yes. Is that an important message to you, Arthur?"

Arthur shifts in his seat to get more comfortable before answering. "Not really, Ike. Christmas is a time for people with someone they love in their lives." Ike looks at Arthur questioningly. "And that's not you?"

Arthur leans forward, placing his hands on the table. "That's not me, Ike. When I was young and successful, I was greedy and foolish and now I'm left with no one, wrinkled and alone."

Ike blinks. "Wow. Thanks for that, Arthur."

"For what?"

Ike chuckles. "For actually giving a real answer to a question. It doesn't often happen here at Radio Watford, I can tell you."

Arthur laughs. "Ask me anything, I'll tell you the truth."

"The best shag you ever had?"

Arthur answers without missing a beat, smirking. "Brittany Spears."

Alfred face-palms from inside the booth and Ike looks shocked. "Wow."

Arthur laughs. "No, only kidding. She was rubbish."

"Okay! Uhm, here's one; how do you think the new record compares to your old classic stuff?"

Arthur leans back in his char, exasperated. "Oh come on, Ike! Even you know as well as I do the record's _crap_." He laughs and Alfred puts his head in his hands. "But wouldn't it be great if number one this Christmas wasn't some smug teenager but an old ex-heroin addict looking for a comeback at any price?" He smiles and the DJ nods, getting a little uncomfortable. "All those young posters come Christmas will be stretched out naked with a cute little bird balanced on their balls! And I'll be stuck in some dingy flat with me manager Alfred – _ugliest_ man in the world – fucking miserable because our fucking gamble didn't pay off!" By this point the DJ is staring at Arthur slack-jawed and wide-eyed, as though he can't believe what he's hearing.

Arthur continues, getting closer to the mic. "So if you believe in Father Christmas, children, like your Uncle Arthur does, buy my festering turd of a record, and particularly enjoy the incredible crassness of the moment where we try to squeeze an extra syllable into the fourth line!" Arthur laughs, and Alfred looks like he wants to shake Arthur really hard and ask 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?'.

"I think you're referring to….. If you really love Christmas.."

"Come on and let it snow. _Ouch_."

"So! Uh, here it is one more time. The Dark Horse for this year's Christmas number one; Christmas Is All Around. Thank you, Arthur! After this the news; Is The New Prime Minister In Trouble Already?"

Arthur turns around in his chair to face Alfred and gives a double thumbs up and peace signs as Alfred just shakes his head.

Ludwig shifts in his chair and looks around the table at the other officials. "Alright, what's next?"

"The President's visit."

"Oh yes, yes. I fear this is going to be a difficult one to play. Rider?"

"There's a very strong feeling in the party we mustn't allow ourselves to be bullied from pillar to posts, like the last government."

Ludwig nods and there's a table-wide call of "here, here!"

Another council member says, "This is our first really important test; let's take a stand!"

Ludwig nods. "Right. Right. I understand that but I have decided not to. Not this time. We will, of course, try to be clever, but let's not forget that America's the most powerful country in the world. I'm not going to act like a petulant child."

Ludwig glances around the room. "Right. Now who do you have to screw around here to get a cup of coffee and a Chocolate biscuit?" Just then, Feliciano walks in with refreshments, and Ludwig blushes slightly. "Right."

Ludwig is working in his office when there's a knock at the door. Without looking up, he replies, "Yes, come in."

Feliciano walks in, a bright smile on his face and a tray in his arms. He sets a folder on the desk. "These have just come in from the treasury…"

Ludwig glances at the folder. "….Ah."

Then Feliciano sets down a plate and a teacup in front of him. "And these are for you!" He straightens up, smiling. "Excellent, thank you Feliciano."

He turns to leave but hesitates, turning back to face Ludwig. "I was hoping you'd win! Not that I wouldn't have been nice to the other guy too. Would've just always given him the boring biscuits with no chocolate. Ludwig smiles, chuckling lightly. "Thank you… Very much. Thanks." Feliciano turns to leave, and just as he reaches the door- "Feliciano." The young man smiles as he closes the door and Ludwig lets his head fall to the desk.

"Come on, come on, and get a grip! You're the Prime Minister for God's sake!"


	14. Chapter 14

In this scene, they have Antonio and Lovino completely naked. At first, the thought of it made Lovino blush bright red, but then the Spaniard called him a tomato and he stopped that right away. As it was, he was currently "riding" the Spaniard while he talked up at him. "So, what do you think of the new Prime Minister?" Lovino blows a tuft of air up into his face. He's gotten used to Antonio talking to him during shoots. Doesn't mean he has to like it though.

"I like him. Can't understand why he's not married, though." Indeed, Lovino thought the Prime Minister was pretty attractive…For someone born with German blood. Antonio chuckles below him. "You know the type. He's married to his job! Either that or gay as a picnic basket!" The both of you laugh awkwardly at the little bomb he just put there. Just because you stand in for gay movies, doesn't mean you're gay. Your last Dom was straight as an arrow, and it took you weeks to convince him to just get it over with so you could both be paid. Of course, none of this means you _aren't_ gay. The point is, you don't know if he is, or for that matter, what he thinks of gays.

The AD walks up, and you both turn to look at him. "Uhm, excuse me. If you could just, lower the, the nipples a bit… and lean a bit to the left."

You roll your eyes. This guy's as innocent as a Barbie doll. "Okay."

And just like that Antonio's talking again. "I have to say, Lovi, this is a real pleasure! Not many people actually respond when I try to start a conversation."

You growl. "Don't call me Lovi!"

Antonio just laughs and you hear the AD asking you to move again. You hadn't even realized you stopped. You go to move and Antonio knocks his head right into your chest. "Hey!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry!"

He's still laughing.


	15. Chapter 15

It's as Francis and Ralph are driving to their next job that Francis says just about the stupidest thing Ralph's ever heard.

"Exciting news!"

"What, mate?"

"I've bought a ticket to the States. I'm off in three weeks."

"No."

Francis ignores his look. "Yes! To a fantastic place called Wisconsin!"

Ralph's head falls back and hits the seat. "No!"

Francis smiles. "Yes! Wisconsin babes! Here comes Sir Francis!" He shouts as he honks the horn.

Ralph just sighs. "No, Fran. Granted, there are a few babes in America, but they're going out with rich, attractive guys!"

Francis chuckles. "Non, Ralph, you're just jealous. You know perfectly well that in any bar anywhere in America there are ten girls more beautiful and more likely to have sex with me than in the whole of the United Kingdom!"

Ralph looks at Francis incredulously. "That is total bullshit, mate! You've actually gone mad!"

"No! I've gone wise! State-side, I am Prince William. Without the weird family….."

"No! Francis, no!"

"Yes!"

"Niet!"

"Da!"

"Nein!"

"Ja, darling!"

This was the stupidest thing Ralph had ever heard.


	16. Chapter 16

Natalia stood expectantly in front of her boss with a notepad and pen. Ivan sighed. "Right, the Christmas party, not my favourite night of the year and your unhappy job to organize." He began to pace around the room. "Tell me." Natalia gently demanded, pen at the ready. "It's basic, really. Find a venue, over-order on the drinks, bulk buy the guacamole." He turned around, adding as an afterthought, "and advise the girls to avoid Kevin if they want their breasts unfondled."

Natalia looked up from scribbling in her notepad. "Wives and family and stuff?"

"Da." He backpedaled. "I mean, not children. But their wives and girlfriends, etcetera." He looked up with a disgusted face. "Oh, Christ, you haven't got some horrible six-foot, tight-T-shirt-wearing boyfriend you'll be bringing, have you?" He looked her up and down. She _would_ be the type.

Natalia just smirked knowingly. "No. I'll just be hanging around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed."

Ivan looked at her wearily. "Really? Right."

Natalia turned to go, and gave Ivan a look before closing the door, leaving him to his own thoughts.


	17. Chapter 17

Berwald sighed as he and Yao entered his house, shrugging off their jackets. "He n'w spends all the t'me 'n his r'm. I me'n, h''ll be up th're n'w." Yao looks at Berwald skeptically. "There's nothing unusual about that, aru. My horrid son..."

Berwald looks at Yao. "'m Y'ng?" You nods and they walk further into the house. "Im Yong. Stays in his room all the time." Yao pauses, considers, then. "Thank goodness."

"No, but Yao, this 's all the t'me. 'm 'fraid th't th're's s'meth'ng r'lly wr'ng, y'u kn'w? I me'n, cl'rly 't's 'b'ut h's m'm, but Chr'st, he m'ght be 'nj'cting h'roin 'nto h's 'yeb'lls f'r 'll I kn'w."

Yao just stares at him. "At the age of eleven, aru?"

"W'll, m'ybe n't his 'yeb'lls, th'n. M'ybe j'st h's ve'ns. The pr'bl'm 's h's m'm 'lways us'd t' t'lk t' h'm, y'u kn'w, 'nd... I d'n't kn'w, th's wh'le st'pf'ther th'ng seems s'dd'nly t' s'meh'w m'tter, l'ke 't n'ver did b'f're."

Yao places his hand over his brother's much larger one and gives it a comforting pat. "Listen, it was always going to be a totally shit time, aru. Just be patient, aru….. And maybe check the room for needles, aru."

Berwald huffs a sigh. "'nd th'n wh'n he s'met'mes do's c'me out, 't's 'bvi'us he's b'en cry'ng." There's a pause, and Yao looks up from what he's been doing to see Berwald trying not to cry. He puts a hand on his shoulder. "'t w's s'ch a r'dic'l'us w'ste. 'nd 'f 't's n'w go'ng t' ru'n P't'r's l'fe 's w'll... I j'st d'n't kn'w."

Yao shakes Berwald lightly, smiling sadly. "Get a grip aru. People hate sissies, aru. No one's ever going to screw you if you cry all the time, aru."

Berwald nods. "Ye'h. 'bs'l't'ly. H'lpf'l." Yao smiles and claps him on the back, and they both reach into a box of Frosted Flakes.

Peter and Berwald are sitting on a bench overlooking the coast. They had gone for a walk – Berwald's suggestion – in hopes of alleviating the borders that had been built recently. They sit in calm silence until Berwald decides he needs to address the problem.

"S'. Wh't's the pr'bl'm, P't'r? 's 't j'st m'm 'r 's 't s'meth'ng 'lse? M'ybe school? 're y'u b'ing b'llied? 'r 's 't s'meth'ng w'rse?"

Peter looks at his lap with uncertainty. "C'n y'u g've m' 'ny clu's 't 'll?" Peter finally looks up at Berwald and sees the genuine concern.

"You really want to know?"

Berwald nods, completely serious. "I w'nt t' kn'w."

"Even though you won't be able to do anything to help me?"

Berwald is a little taken aback, but continues, "'ven 'f th't's the c'se, ye'h."

Peter looks down at his lap and decides he can trust his stepdad. "Okay, well, truth is, actually, I'm in love."

He says it so matter-of-factly that Berwald can't help but huff out a laugh before he reigns in his emotions. "Wh't?"

"I know I should be thinking about mom all the time, and I am. But the truth is that I'm in love, and I was before he died, there's nothing I can do about it."

This time Berwald really does laugh. "'ren't y'u a b't y'ung t' be 'n l've?"

Peter gives him a confused look and shakes his head. "No."

Berwald straightens up when he realizes his stepson is completely serious. "Oh. Oh, 'k'y. I h've t' 'dm't 'm a l'ttle r'l'eved." He wraps his arm around Peter, who looks at him, "Why?"

"B'c'use I th'ught 't w's s'meth'ng w'rse!"

Now Peter looks really confused. "What could be worse than the total agony of being in love?"

Berwald thinks for a moment before sighing. "N', y'u're r'ght. T't'l ag'ny." They went back to staring out at the sea.

 **A/N:**

 **Im Yong Soo: South Korea**


	18. Chapter 18

It was dark, all the lights were off except for the lamp on Raivis' desk and Eduard's office light. Everyone had gone home, and rightfully, Raivis should have too, but he was hoping to have the chance to talk to Eduard, who had stayed after-hours to finish a project. Raivis glanced over at Eduard for the millionth time to see him getting ready to leave and he looked up just as he was walking by. Eduard smiled. "Goodnight, Raivis."

Raivis could feel butterflies as he responded, "Night, Eduard." With a smile. Once he was sure Eduard had left, he began freaking out. He had missed his chance! His cell phone went off, startling him. He answered it, wincing.

"Yeah, absolutely. Free as a bird. Fire away."

Bertram opened the windows and the back door to his new little cottage, letting in some natural light. He sat down at his typewriter and sighed, looking out at the lake.

"Alone again. Naturally."

Ludwig had just finished dealing with a matter when he opened the door to his office just as someone was knocking. He looked down and saw Feliciano smiling up at him.

"Ah, Feliciano."

"Sir."

He watched the other walk over to his desk and set down a folder. As he was leaving, he threw a "Thanks," over his shoulder and moved to see what had just been put on his desk. Before he could stop himself, he called out "Feliciano!" And the other man turned around, smiling. "I'm starting to feel…..Comfortable… About us working in such close proximity every day. Me knowing so little about you though, it seems uhm…. Elitist wrong." Feliciano brightens.

"Well, there's not much to know!"

Ludwig rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Well er… Where do you live, for instance?"

They sat down at his desk.

"Wandsworth, the dodgy end."

Ludwig was surprised. "Ah, my brother lives in Wandsworth."

Feliciano let out a happily surprised sound.

Ludwig hesitated. "So, which exactly is the…. Dodgy end?"

"Right at the end of High Street, Harris Street, near the Queen's Head." Ludwig nodded. "Oh, right. That is dodgy."

Feliciano smiled.

"And you live with your-" He gestured for the right word. "Wife? Husband? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Three illegitimate, yet charming children?"

Feliciano's smile was sad. "No, I've actually just split with my boyfriend, so I'm back home with my brother."

"Ah, sorry." Ludwig tried to contain his joy. Not only was Feliciano gay, he was single. It didn't matter though, he was Feliciano's boss. It wasn't proper.

Feliciano shakes his head. "No it's fine, I'm over him. He said I was getting fat."

Ludwig blinks. "I beg your pardon?"

"He said no one would love a guy with thighs the size of big tree trunks. Not a very nice guy, in the end."

Ludwig was surprised anyone could say that. Feliciano looked absolutely perfect to him. Of course, he couldn't say that.

"Right…. You know, being Prime Minister, I could have him murdered." He was surprised he wasn't joking. Feliciano laughed. "Thank you, sir, I'll think about it." Ludwig nodded. "Do. The SAS are absolutely charming. Ruthless. Trained killers are just a phone call away." Feliciano smiled and closed the door behind him as he left. Ludwig sighed, gazing over at a picture of the Queen. "Oh God. Did you ever have this kind of problem?" He waited as though the picture could give a response. "Yes, of course you did, you saucy minx."


	19. Chapter 19

Peter sat on his bed, almost regretting having told Berwald the truth. Said man was now pacing his bedroom, trying to help the boy solve his "problem".

"S', l't's g'. We c'n cr'ck th's. R'm'mb'r I w's a k'd 'nce too. S', c'me 'n. 't's s'me'ne 't school, r'ght?" He stops his pacing and faces Peter, who is still trying to think of a way to get out of this. He gives up and nods. "Yeah." Berwald nods, "G'd, g'd. 'nd wh't do's she, he, f'el 'b'ut y'u?"

Peter rolls his eyes. " _She_ doesn't even know my name. Even if she did, she'd despise me. She's the coolest girl in school, and everyone worships her because she's heaven…" Berwald moves to sit beside Peter on his bed. "G'd, g'd. W'll, b's'c'lly y'u're f'cked, 'ren't y'u?" He just chuckles, and Peter closes his eyes. _He already knew that._


	20. Chapter 20

Two Talk Show hosts are standing on a stage with Arthur, next to a poster of the one band he hates the most. Blue. "Hi there and welcome back. So, three weeks till Christmas, looks like the real competition is gonna be Blue." Arthur nods. "I saw them on the show last week. They weren't very nice about my record." The two hosts share an amused look. "No. Little scamps."

"But very, very talented musicians." Arthur adds in a monotone voice. The hosts look a little taken aback by Arthur's comment. "Yeah. Arthur, I understand you've got a prize for our competition winners."

"Yes, I have, Ant or Dec. It's a personalized felt-tip pen!" He pulls a pen out of his jacket pocket to show to the camera.

Ant and Dec look at each other, un-amused. "Oh, great."

Arthur turns the pen around in his hands, examining it. "It's brilliant. It even writes on glass, so if you've got a framed picture, like, for instance, this one of Blue, you can just write on it." Ant and Dec watch as Arthur draws a speech bubble for the band and writes "WE'VE GOT LITTLE PRICKS."

"Er, a lot of kids watching, Arthur."

Arthur looks at Dec with surprise. "Oh, yes. Hiya, kids. Here's an important message from your Uncle Arthur - don't buy drugs." There's a pause, then he adds, "Become a pop star and they give you them for free!" The live audience breaks out in a roar of mixed reactions and Dec takes a step forward, a hand to his headset. "And I do believe it's a commercial break. Thank goodness. We'll see you soon. Bye!" As the camera zooms out, Alfred, who's been watching from a small screen off-set, bangs his head on the screen.


	21. Chapter 21

Gilbert worked in an art gallery, and he was currently on the phone at the front desk talking to Roderich. Two girls were currently laughing at an art piece of four nude men facing away from the camera. Gilbert turned when he heard a "Look at him! Eurh!" before talking into the phone. "Just a minute." He turned back to the girls. " Actually, they're not funny. They're art." The girls scoffed, walking away, and Gilbert went back to the phone. "OK, let's say, er, Thursday, my place."

From the other end; "Great. …but for now, I've got Elizabeta on the other line. Can I patch you through? she wants to ask you a favour."

Gilbert nodded even though Roderich couldn't see. "OK, fine."

There was a pause. "Thanks and, er, be nice."

Gilbert scoffed. "I'm always nice."

"You know what I mean, Gilbert, be friendly."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I'm always..."

There was a click, and another voice came over the speaker. "Gilbert?"

Gilbert sighed internally. "Hi. How was the honeymoon?"

"Oh It was great. Thanks for the gorgeous sendoff."

Gilbert shifted in his seat. "So, what can I do for you?"

There was shifting on the other end, and then ; "It's only a tiny favour. I've just tried the wedding video and it's a complete disaster. It's come out all blue and wibbly."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry."

She continues; "And I remember you filming a lot on the day - and I just wondered if I could look at your stuff."

Gilbert starts to panic. "Oh no - look - To be honest, I didn't really..."

"Please. All I want is just one shot of me in a wedding dress that isn't bright turquoise."

Gilbert sighs. "Okay , - I'll have a look - but to be honest I'm pretty sure I wiped it, so don't get any hopes up. Must go." He hangs up the phone before she can say anything else.


	22. Chapter 22

Ivan sat on Raivis' desk. "Any progress with our matchmaking plans?"

Raivis sighs. "No. I've done fuck-all and never will because he's too good for me."

Ivan simply smiles. "How true."

Raivis scoffs and smacks Ivan on the knee with a newspaper, which makes him slap Raivis with a newspaper. "Stop."

A loud ringing starts from behind Raivis, on his desk, and Ivan gets up. "And of course, your mobile goes."

Raivis ignores him and answers, so Ivan walks away. "Hello. Hi. How you doing?"

Ivan approaches his assistant Natalia. "So, how's the Christmas party going?"

She looks up from her computer to give him a once-over and smiles. "Good. Think I've found a venue. Friend of mine works there."

Ivan raises an eyebrow. "What's it like?"

Natalia turns fully in her seat. "Good. Good. It's an art gallery. Full of dark corners for doing dark deeds." Natalia spreads her legs, and Ivan's face takes on a look of disgust. "Oh. Right. Good. Well, I suppose I should take a look at it or something."

Natalia smiles. "You should."

Ivan lingers for a moment, falters, and walks into his office. Natalia makes him so uncomfortable.


	23. Chapter 23

Bertram sat typing away at his typewriter when his doorbell rang. He got up to answer it and saw his landlord, a portly woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a blue poncho. "Ah, bonjour, Eleonore."

Eleonore smiled. "Bonjour, Monsieur Bennett. Welcome back. And this year you bring a lady guest?"

Bertram's smile fell and he hesitated. "No. There's a change of situation. Just me."

"Oh. Am I sad or not sad?"

He replies sarcastically, "I think you're not surprised."

"And you stay here till Christmas?"

Bertram nods. "Yeah, yeah."

"Good. Well, I find you a perfect man to clean the house." She took a step back and turned, revealing a young man with his hands shoved in his pockets. "This is Lukas."

Bertram stepped out of the house, walking up to the young Norwegian. "Ah. Er, bonjour, Lukas." They shook hands, and he bowed very slightly. "Bonjour."

Bertram stuck his hands in his pockets and spoke hesitantly. "Er, je suis, er, tres heureux de vous avoir ici." Lukas looked at the landlady confusedly, and she turned to Bertram. "Unfortunately, he cannot speak French, just like you. He's Norwegian."

Bertram wracked his brain for other languages he knew. "Ah , ah, god morgen. Bakker, øh, er..." No dice. German? "Er, sehr bueno ..."

The woman laughed lightly. "I think she's ten years too young to remember a footballer called Bakker, and 'sehr beuno' is German."

"Right." He kicked at the ground. " Anyway, it's nice to meet you and..." He started to walk inside, Lukas following him, when the landlady stopped him.

"And perhaps you can drive him home after her work?" Bertram looked from Lukas to the woman. "Oh, absolutely, yes." He turned back to Lukas. "Mitt-Mitt, eh, n-nöje."

"Which is what? Turkish?" He just sighs, and walks inside.

Bertram and Lukas were in the car, the only noise the radio, humming lowly in the tense air between them. Bertram looked out the window for something to talk about.

"Godt. Er, Godt. Er, ve-vejr til arbejde... No, right." Lukas just looked at his lap. "Silence is golden. As the Tremeloes said." He looked at Lukas, who looked up at what he was saying.

"Clever guys, although I think the original version was by Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons. Gr-great band." He starts to hum the song, and Lukas laughs, looking out the window. "Oh, shut up."

 **A/N:**

 **Lukas: Norway**


	24. Chapter 24

The US President's arrival was very reflective of the Prime Minister's on his first day in office. There was lots of press, lots of noise, and when the President left his car he waved to the crowd.

"Mr. President! Over here, sir! What will you be talking about?"

Ludwig stepped outside, meeting the President halfway and shaking his hand. "Mr. President, welcome." Introductions were made with the household staff he'd be seeing around during his stay, and the man gave a hearty, "It's a pleasure to meet you." To all of them. Ludwig directed the President through another door toward where they'd be spending most of their time, saying; "Come on through. I'm sorry your wife couldn't make it by the way."

"So is she. Although she would have been kind of lonely, I'm sure…"

"Yes. Pathetic, isn't it? Just never been able to tie a girl down. I'm not sure politics and dating really go together."

The President gave Ludwig a look. "Really? I've never found that." Ludwig chuckled. "Yes, well, the difference is that you're sickeningly handsome, whereas I look increasingly like my Aunt Mildred." They turn up a set of stairs and continue on. "I'm very jealous of your plane, by the way."

The President laughs. "Thank you. We love that thing. I'll tell you." Just then, they pass Feliciano coming down the stairs. "Ah, Feliciano. Hi." The two smile at each other as they pass, and the President turns to watch her as she goes. "Morning, ma'am. How's your day so far?" He turns back to Ludwig. "Excellent. My goodness, that's a pretty little son of a bitch. Did you see those pipes?"

Ludwig's smile becomes strained. "Yes, he's terrific… at his job." They sit down in the meeting room, and all outside conversation ends as business begins.

"No, absolutely not. We cannot and will not consult on that either."

"That is unexpected."

"Well, it shouldn't be." Everyone looks at the President. "The last administration made it perfectly clear. We are just being consistent with their policies."

"But, with all respect, they were bad policies."

"Right, Thanks, Alex." Ludwig spoke from where he stood off to the side with a glass of water, making his way over to sit at the table. "I don't think we're making progress here. Let's, erm... move on, shall we?"

The meeting was over, and Ludwig was sitting in a private living room with the President. "Well, now, that was an interesting day."

"I'm sorry if our line was firm - there's no point tiptoeing around today, and then just disappointing you for four years. I have plans and I plan to see them through."

Ludwig nods. "Absolutely. There is one final thing I think we should look at - very close to my heart. If you could just give me a second." He started to make his way toward the door when he heard the President speaking and turned around.

"I'll give you anything you ask for. As long as it's not something I don't wanna give."

He left the room.

He passed Feliciano again on the way out, putting up both hands in a wave. "Hi."

He came back not a minute later to find the President kissing a _very_ flustered Feliciano on the cheek. When they heard Ludwig come in, they turned, and he could tell Feliciano was scared.

The president took a step back and raised his glass, smiling. "It's great Scotch."

Feliciano was blushing like mad. "I'll, erm... I'll be going, then."

"Er, Feliciano," He stopped and looked at the President wearily. "I hope to see much more of you as our countries work toward a better future."

"Thank you, sir."

He couldn't get out of there soon enough.

The press conference began. Cameras flashed, and people tried to outdo each other in getting the attention of the two leaders. Ludwig recognized one of the faces and called to the man for the first question. "Er, yes, Peter."

"Mr. President, has it been a good visit?"

Ludwig caught the look the President gave Feliciano. "Very satisfactory indeed. We got what we came for and our special relationship is still very special."

"Prime Minister?"

Ludwig took a deep breath before answering, steadying himself. "I love that word "relationship". Covers all manner of sins, doesn't it? I fear that this has become a bad relationship. A relationship based on the President taking what he wants and casually ignoring all those things that really matter to, erm..." His glance shifted to Feliciano for a brief second. "Britain. We may be a small country but we're a great one, too. The country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter. David Beckham's right foot." Everyone chuckled. "David Beckham's left foot, come to that. And a friend who bullies us is no longer a friend. And since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward, I will be prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for that." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and took a slight step back. He looked around the room.

"Mr. President!"

Feliciano was smiling.

 **A/N:**

 **The President is Turkey w/o his mask, but no one calls him by name so...**


	25. Chapter 25

During the celebration following the announcement on TV, Ludwig received a phone call, which a secretary brought to his attention. "It's your brother on line four." Ludwig nods and takes the phone. "All right. Er, yes, I'm very busy and important," Kiku laughs and walks away, giving Ludwig some space. "How can I help you?"

"Have you gone completely insane, aru?"

Ludwig just shrugs. "You can't be sensible all the time." Kiku taps him on the shoulder to catch his attention, and from the receiver there's a shout of, "You can if you're Prime Minister!"

Ludwig shifts, "It's the Chancellor on the other line."

Yao rolls his eyes. "It isn't!"

"I'll call you back."

"No, you won't, aru!" The line goes dead and Yao turns to Ivan who's sitting in a stark white armchair. "The trouble with being the Prime Minister's sister is it puts your life into rather harsh perspective. What did my brother do today? He stood up and fought for his country, aru. And what did I do? I made a papier - mache lobster head." He plops down in front of their coffee table where they have presents for their children waiting to be wrapped. Ivan's face contorts in a mix of confusion and disgust, "What is this we're listening to?"

Yao smiles. "Joni Mitchell, aru."

Ivan rolls his eyes and looks down at Yao. "I can't believe you still listen to Joni Mitchell."

Yao fans himself with one of the many toys. "I love her and true love lasts a lifetime, aru. Joni Mitchell is the woman who taught your cold Chinese wife how to feel."

Ivan looks at Yao and deadpans, "Did she? Oh, well, that's good, I must write to her sometime and say thanks."

Yao turns to Ivan holding two ugly dolls in her hands. "Now which doll for Lin Yi's little friend Erika, aru? The one that looks like a transvestite, or the one that looks like a dominatrix?"

Ludwig stood in his room getting ready for bed, the radio on at his nightstand, when he heard. "It's almost enough to make you feel patriotic, so here's one for our arse-kicking prime minister. I think he'll enjoy this. A golden oldie for a golden oldie."

The song Jump began to play, and Ludwig stood at the window, his hips bopped to the beat.

"Hold me, I'll give you all that you need. Wrap your love around me. You're so excited I can feel you getting hotter. Oh baby, I'll take you down, I'll take you down." He started to dance, showing his age in the moves he used. "Where no one's ever gone before. And if you want more. If you want more, more, more." He began to move through the halls and through the rooms. "Jump for my love. Jump in. And feel my touch. Jump, if you wanna taste my kisses in the night then. Jump for my love." Mary, a woman with long hair braided down her back and half-frame glasses, stood in the doorway watching. "I'll take you down, I'll take you down. Where no one's ever gone."

It was at this point Ludwig turned, seeing Mary for the first time. He executed a flawless transition from doing the sprinkler to clapping his hands and letting them fall to his sides. "Yeah, erm, Mary, I've been thinking. Can we move the Japanese ambassador to four o'clock tomorrow?"

Mary remained stoic. "Certainly, sir."

Ludwig turned to leave. "Terrific. Thanks so much."

As she left, Mary couldn't help but smile.

 **A/N:**

 **Erika: Liechtenstein**

 **Mary: Monaco**


	26. Chapter 26

Bertram sat, two weeks from Christmas, typing away as Lukas cleared the table. Bertram looked up at the young man and offered him his extra croissant. "Erm. Would you like the last, er...?"

Lukas looked from the plate to Bertram as he took a bite of the one he'd already been eating. He shook his head, holding his hand out in a 'no thanks' manner. "Tusen takk , men nei. Hvis du så min søster, vil du forstå hvorfor." _"_ _Thank you very much but no. If you saw my sister, you'd understand why."_

Bertram set the plate down and Lukas continued to sweep up crumbs off the table. "That's all right, more for me."

"Bare ikke gå å spise alt selv," _"_ _Just don't go eating it all yourself,"_ Lukas gave Bertram a once-over. "Du får chubbier hver dag." _"You're getting chubbier every day."_

Bertram looked up at Lukas as he ate the other croissant. "I'm lucky - I've got of those constitution where I never put on weight."

The phone began to ring, and Bertram picked up the closest one. "Hello." The phone kept ringing, and he figured it must be one of the others. He put it back and stood to search through his papers. Lukas had the same idea and joined in. As Lukas beent down to look at a pile, Bertram took a step forward and straightened, causing them to bump into each other. Bertram huffed out a laugh. "Oops. Sorry." The phone was still ringing, and Lukas began to flip through a script, finding the phone halfway and handing it to Bertram with a small smile. "Hello ?"

It was sunny, with a light breeze coming in from the North East. Bertram decided to move his work outside to the deck, where he could see the lake just a few meters away. Lukas came out to join him and brought a fresh cup of tea for him. Bertram looked up just as he set it down. "Thank you."

As luck would have it, at the exact moment Lukas picked up his old cup, a gust of wind blew past, taking all the papers under that cup with it, sending them into the lake. "Nei! Jeg synde så lei meg." _"No! I'm sinning, I'm sorry."_ Lukas ran after the papers while Bertram just looked on in a kind of shocked state, mouth agape. "Å nei. Vent litt." _"_ _Oh, no. Hold on."_

Bertram stood at the edge of the deck, leaning over the railing as Lukas chased the papers down to the modest dock at the lake's edge. "God, it's half the book. Oh, no."

"Det katastrofe!" _"What a disaster!"_ Lukas stood at the dock, hands in his hair and pacing as he watched the papers land one by one in the water. He suddenly stopped and started stripping his clothes.

Bertram's hands came to his face as he watched what he was certain could _not_ be happening. "Just leave them, please! They're not important. They're not worth it!" He jumped over the railing and began to make his way to the dock. "Stop! Stop. It's all just rubbish." By this point Lukas was down to his boxers, "Just leave it." Lukas dove into the water. "Oh, God, he's in. And now he'll think I'm a total spaz if I don't go in too." He started to strip down to his boxers as Lukas started shivering.

"Faen - det er kaldt!" _"Fuck - it's cold!"_ He began to swim around and gather the papers.

Bertram jumped in and instantly regretted it. "Fuck - it's freezing! Fuck!" He began to help Lukas collect the papers. God, there were so many!

"Dette ting bedre være bra." _"This stuff better be good."_ Lukas' voice was bitter as his teeth chattered.

"It's not worth it, you know, it isn't bloody Shakespeare."

Lukas was still ranting in Norwegian and Bertram _still_ had no idea what he was saying. "Jeg ønsker ikke å drukne spare litt dritt min bestemor ville ha skrevet." _"I don't want to drown saving some shit my grandmother could have written."_

Bertram sighed and watched Lukas swim around, collecting ruined papers. "Just stop. Stop."

"Hva slags idiot gjør ikke kopier?" _"What kind of an idiot doesn't do copies?"_

"I really must do copies." Bertram looked around the water. "There'd better not be eels in here. I can't stand eels…"

Lukas saw Bertram thrashing around and threw over his shoulder, "Prøv ikke å forstyrre ål." _"Try not to disturb the eels."_

Bertram stopped moving and jolted suddenly. "Oh god, what the hell is that?"

They're both inside now, with Lukas wrapped in a blanket, and Bertram brings out two mugs of tea, setting them on the table as he sits. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I know. I'll name one of the characters after you."

Lukas smiles and shrugs. "Kanskje du kunne navnet en av karakterene etter meg. Eller gi meg 50% av fortjenesten." _"Maybe you could name one of the characters after me. Or give me 50% of the profits."_

Bertram nods, (not that he knows what Lukas said.) "Or I could give you 5% of the profits."

Lukas looks at Bertram curiously. "Hva slags bok er det?" _"What kind of book is it?"_ When Bertram gave him a blank stare, he tried again. "Type. Kind ... Romanse?" _"Kind. Kind… Romance ?"_

Bertram made an understanding noise. "Yes. It's, erm..." he makes stereotypical murder motions.

"Ah, er...Thriller…Kriminalitet…" _"Thriller...crime..."_

Bertram points at Lukas and nods. "Yes. Ja. Crime. Crime, murder." He waves a gun around like a cop would, and Lukas laughs.

"Skummel?" _"Scary?"_

"Er, scary?" Lukas nods. "Yes, sometimes scary. And, er, sometimes not. Mainly scary how bad the writing is." He laughs at his own joke.

"Mm. Jeg får heller gå tilbake til arbeid." _"I'd better get back to work."_ Lukas motioned to the dirty house and Jamie nodded. That, he understood. "Ah."

"Og senere vil du kjøre meg hjem?" " _And then later you'll drive me home?"_

He didn't understand all of it, but he knew 'drive me home'. "Sure. It's my favourite time of day... driving you." He smiles, and Lukas frowns.

"It's the saddest part of my day, leaving you." He says it with such a heavy accent, and so much slurring, that it takes Bertram a minute to figure out what Lukas said. He smiles sadly.

"Sorry."

 **A/N:**

 **to be completely honest, I've seen this movie SO MANY TIMES and I never figured out that he was learning Portugese to understand her until I wrote this chapter. Anyways as their story progresses I'll be sure to increase the amount of understanding or w/e**


	27. Chapter 27

Gilbert stood in front of his TV with a bowl of cereal as he laughed. A funny show had just ended, and now – "And coming up later this morning, it's this guy..." The music video for Arthur's new song comes on and Gilbert snorts. "There's no beginning, there'll be no end. Cos on Christmas-" The doorbell rang and Gilbert set down his bowl. "The bad granddad of rock'n'roll, here at 10:30. Do not switch off." He turned off the TV as he made his way to the door.

Elizabeta stood in the doorway, and Gilbert mentally swore. "Banoffee pie?" She held out a small box, and Gilbert faltered. "No, thanks." She just laughed and closed the box. "Thank God. You would've broken my heart if you'd said 'yes'."

Gilbert smiled. "Oh right, well, lucky you."

"Can I come in?"

Gilbert took a step back, slow to get out of the way. "Er, yeah, well, I'm a bit busy but..."

She pushed past him anyways. "I was just passing and I thought we might check that video thing out. I thought I might be able to swap it for some pie, or maybe Munchies?" She pulled a candy bar out of her coat pocket.

Gilbert thought of a quick lie. "Actually, I was serious I don't know where it is. I'll have a poke around tonight, and then…"

"Gilbert, can I say something?"

Gilbert deflated. "Yeah."

"I know you're Roderich's best friend and I know you've never particularly warmed to me." Gilbert was about to say something, but – "Look, don't, don't argue. We've never got… friendly. But I just wanted to say, I hope that can change. I'm nice. I really am. Apart from my terrible taste in pie and... It would be great if we could be friends."

Gilbert looked up from the floor. "Absolutely. Absolutely."

Elizabeta nodded. "Great." There was an awkward pause and Gilbert added, "Doesn't mean we'll be able to find the video, though. I had a real search when you first called and couldn't find any trace of it, so..."

Elizabeta walks over to the TV and picks up a tape on top of it. "There's one here that says "Peter and Juliet's Wedding". Do you think we might be on the right track?" She looks at Gilbert with a mischievous smile.

Gilbert rubs the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Elizabeta. "Er, yeah, well... Wow. That-that could be it."

"Do you mind if l just...?" She pops it in the VCR, and Gilbert panics.

"I've probably taped over it. Almost everything has episodes of West Wing on it now…"

The video starts up, and you can clearly see a close-up of Elizabeta and Roderich at the altar. "Oh, bingo. That's lovely. Well done, you. Oh, that's gorgeous. Thank you so much, Gilbert, this is exactly what I was hoping for." Almost the entire video is close-ups of Elizabeta. "I look quite pretty. You've stayed rather close, haven't you…" She looks at Gilbert and laughs before turning back to the video, and Gilbert gives her a sad look. "They're all of me." They both watch as the Elizabeta on screen waves goodbye from their ship.

"Yeah. Yeah... Yes."

The video ends and they sit in the silence for a moment before Elizabeta speaks up. "But... you never talk to me." She looks at Gilbert. "You always talk to Roderich. You don't like me." Gilbert looked like he wanted to say something, but instead just said, "Hope it's useful. Don't show it around too much. It needs a bit of editing. Look, I've got to get to a...Iunch. Early lunch. You can just show yourself out, can't you?" He walks out of the room, but turns at the last second to regard Elizabeta. "It's a...self-preservation thing, you see." He turns and leaves.

Gilbert walks out onto the sidewalk, sighing as he stops and thinks. He turns around to head back inside, but stops short at the entryway and turns around again. He does this three more times before zipping up his jacket and walking down the sidewalk. He stops once he's around the corner and turns in a circle. He stops and crouches, putting his head in his hands as he screams, "Fuck!" scaring a man walking by with bags in his hands.


	28. Chapter 28

Ludwig is standing in his office when he hears a knock at the door. "Yeah." Kiku walks in and they both smile politely to each other. "Kiku, Ah... Need you to do a favour for me."

Kiku smiles up at his old friend. "Of course; anything for the hero of the hour."

Ludwig sighs and raises his hand in a placating manner. "Don't ask me why, and don't read stuff into this, it's just a weird personality thing. But, erm, you know Feliciano who works here?"

Kiku looks at Ludwig curiously. "The chubby boy?"

That strikes a chord in Ludwig, but he maintains his composure. "Ooh, would we call him chubby?"

"I think there's a pretty sizeable arse there, yes, sir. Huge thighs." Ludwig sighs; Kiku's never been one to lie or put down others.

"Yeah. Well, whatever, erm... I'm sure he's a lovely boy but I wonder if you could, erm... redistribute him?"

Kiku raises an eyebrow, but only responds with, "It's done."

Ludwig wonders if he's done the right thing as Kiku closes the door behind him.


	29. Chapter 29

Berwald sits at his desk with an unfinished work document on his computer as he stares at a picture of Tino. Peter walks in wearing his pajamas, looking tired. "H'y, P't'r. C'n't sle'p?"

Peter looks at his stepdad very seriously. "I got some terrible news today."

Berwald nods. L't's h've 't."

"Tina's going back to America."

Berwald is a little taken aback. "Y'ur g'rl's 'm'r'c'n?"

"Yes, she's American." Peter sits down in the chair in the corner and slumps over. "And she's not my girl. And she's going back to America. That's the end of my life as I know it."

Berwald nods. "Th't 's b'd n'ws. W'll, w' n'ed K'te 'nd w' n'ed L'o, 'nd w' n'ed th'm n'w. C'me 'n." He stands up quickly, guiding Peter into the living room, where they both sit on the couch.

Titanic is on, and they just got to the scene where Leo is holding Kate up at the front of the ship.

"Hold on. Hold on. Keep your eyes closed. Do you trust me?"

"l trust you."

The two males are standing in front of the TV in the same pose as Kate, with Berwald standing behind Peter. "D' y'u tr'st m'?"

Peter smiles. "I trust you."

Berwald's arms come around and he tickles Peter, bringing him down to the couch. "F'ol!"

They squirm on the couch as Titanic continues in the background. "Get off, you big bully."

"All right, open your eyes."

Berwald stops tickling Peter and they sit up. "Y'u kn'w, P't'r, 'm s're sh's 'nique 'nd 'xtr'rd'n'ry b't g'n'r'l w'sd'm 's th't 'n th' 'nd, th're 'sn't j'st 'ne p'rs'n f'r 'ch 'f 's."

"There was for Kate and Leo. There was for you. And there is for me. She's the one."

Berwald nods. "Fair enough. And her name's Tina?"

"Yeah, I know. Almost the same as Mum."


	30. Chapter 30

Lukas carries the last of his things to the car, where Bertram is trying to shift everything to fit. This would be the last day the two shared a car, because Bertram would be going home later today. "Oh. Sorr ... Erm, beklager. stor, eh ... stor familie. Stor tradisjon for julegaver. Dum." _"Oh. Sorr…. Erm, sorry. great, er…. great family. Great tradition for Christmas presents. Stupid."_ He shut the back end, and they got in the car.

As they drove up to her neighborhood, there were kids playing basketball. Bertram made sure to be careful when he parked, and they both got out, standing in front of each other for a moment, trying to memorize the other's face. They smiled at each other, and Bertram was the first to speak. "Well, goodbye."

Lukas smiled a rare smile. "Takk skal du ha." _"Thank you."_

Bertram stumbled over the right thing to say. Anything he thought of didn't sound sincere enough. "Erm, it was, erm..."

"Jeg kommer til å savne deg. Og din veldig treg å skrive ... og din veldig dårlig kjøring." _"I will miss you. And your very slow typing... and your very bad driving."_

Before Bertram could respond, Lukas leaned up and kissed him chastely on the lips. He walked away hurriedly, feeling tears in his eyes and not wanting Bertram, the man who was always smiling, to see him cry.

Bertram watched regretfully as Lukas walked away, unaware of the effect the goodbye was having on the other. When Lukas reached the corner, he turned to his car, preparing for the drive home. Just as he began to pull back onto the road, he heard a honk and another car collided with his side. He sighed and hit the wheel, swearing in Norwegian.


	31. Chapter 31

Peter stood in front of a store, watching Arthur's new music video. He couldn't help but think that the only reason girls liked someone like him was because he made music. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head and he rushed home.

The door slammed behind him with a loud thud as he rushed into the house, looking for his stepdad. "Berwald! I have a plan." He stood in the entryway to Berwald's office, and Berwald turned to face him, throwing his arms up. "Th'nk th' L'rd! T'll m'."

Peter stood in front of his stepdad, hands fidgeting with the bottom of his jacket. "Well, girls love musicians, don't they?"

Berwald nodded. "Uh-huh."

Peter continued. "Even the weird ones get girlfriends."

Berwald seemed to be catching on. "Th't's r'ght. Me't Lo'f d'f'n't'ly g't l'd 't le'st 'nce. F'r G'd's s'ke, R'ngo St'rr m'rr'ed a B'nd g'rl."

Peter had no idea what he was talking about, and shook his head. "Whatever. There's this big concert at the end of term and Tina's in it. And I thought if I was in the band and played absolutely superbly, there's a chance that she might fall in love with me. What do you think?"

Berwald seemed to seriously contemplate what he was about to say. "I th'nk 't's br'll'ant, I th'nk 't's st'll'r. Ap'rt fr'm th' 'ne 'bv'us t'ny l'ttle b'by l'ttle h'cc'p."

Peter thought for a moment. "I don't play a musical instrument?"

"Yes, sir."

Peter smiled and waved a finger in Berwald's face. "A tiny, insignificant detail."

For the next two weeks, Peter practiced the drums non-stop in his room. Berwald just hoped this girl was worth Peter driving him insane.


	32. Chapter 32

Raivis placed a modest light-up tree on his desk and smiled. He really loved Christmas. The parties were okay, but he was dreading the company's Christmas party this year. He just knew Eduard would be all over other people. Probably girls. He wasn't even sure if Eduard _liked_ men that way.

When the party started, he just stuck to the walls, "admiring" the art while secretly watching Eduard socialize with women in sexy outfits and laugh with men in well-fitted suits. He looked down at his modest straight-cut suit that he's had since Homecoming of Freshman year and sighed. Even if Eduard was gay, or at least bi, he wouldn't like Raivis the way Raivis loved him.

In another corner of the art gallery, Yao and Ivan stood close together, observing everyone. Yao looked over at Ivan and smiled. He could always tell when his husband was uncomfortable. "I suppose I'd better do the duty round."

Ivan looked at Yao like he had promised the best sex of their lives. "You're a saint." Yao rolled his eyes and walked off, leaving Ivan on his own.

But not for long. Natalia tapped on his shoulder from behind, and Ivan spun around to see who wanted his attention. He chuckled when he noticed her. "Any chance of a dance with the boss?"

"Yes, sure, sure. As long as your boyfriend doesn't mind." He pointed over his shoulder at Gilbert, who was invited simply because one; he was Natalia's hook-up for the venue, and two; he had nothing else to do and begged for days to be invited. Natalia scoffed. "NOT my boyfriend."

Ivan deliberated for a second before determining he couldn't possibly get out of this without possibly having to hire a new assistant, so he nodded and led her out to the floor. It was at this moment Yao looked over from where he was chatting politely with some other employees to see his husband dancing with a woman. A stab went through his chest, but he quickly quelled any negative feelings. Ivan loved him. Besides, Ivan was as gay as a rainbow; he'd never have an affair with his secretary. "You're looking very… pretty tonight."

Natalia smiled. "It's for you."

"Sorry?"

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "It's all for you, sir." She leaned back to smile at him, and he frowned.

From across the room, Yao did the same.


	33. Chapter 33

Ludwig walked through the quiet house, with its entire staff having gone home for the night to be with their families. He picked up the newspaper and sat down on the couch, turning on the TV as he flipped through the pages.

"Well, this must be very exciting moment for you, fighting for the Christmas number one. How's it looking so far?"

It seemed everyone was obsessing over Arthur and his new-old song lately. Right now, the TV was tuned to yet another interview about his latest song. The man chuckled. "Very bad indeed. Blue are outselling me five to one but I'm hoping for a late surge." He turns to regard the camera and, by extension, the audience behind it. "And, if I reach number one, l promise to sing a song stark naked on TV on Christmas Eve."

The host laughed. "Do you mean that?"

Arthur shifted in his chair, sitting up. "Of course I do, Michael. Do you want a preview, You old flirt?" The audience on TV, as well as Ludwig, began to laugh as he stood up, walking toward the other man with his hands at his fly, beginning to undo his pants. Michael laughed and held Arthur's hips, looking around the man to the camera and smiling. "That'll never make number one."


	34. Chapter 34

Raivis and Yao stood next to each other, each watching the man they loved dance with other people. Raivis was the first to speak. "I suppose it's his job to dance with everyone, isn't it?"

Yao nodded sourly and took another drink from his wine. "Some more than others, aru." Yao looked over Raivis' shoulder and nudged him, turning the other way as Eduard walked up.

"Just one dance? Before we run out of chances."

Raivis was taken aback, and looked around before turning back to Eduard. "Who, me?"

Eduard faltered. "Unless you just..."

Yao shoved at Raivis, who quickly spoke up. "No! No! Good. Yes. Thanks." The two men walked out onto the dance floor, Raivis looking nervous as ever, and Yao smiled.

They were dancing to some fast-paced song, just awkwardly moving back and forth, when the music suddenly stopped and switched to something much slower. As others began to leave the floor, Raivis tried to look anywhere but at Eduard. As the lyrics started, Eduard gently grabbed Raivis' hand and guided him into a position for a slow dance.

"Like a flower, waiting to bloom. Like a light bulb, in a dark room." Despite the slow pace, Raivis' heart was beating a mile a minute. He couldn't believe this was happening! Eduard moved a hand up to card it through Raivis' hair, and the petite man swore he was in heaven. "I'm just sitting here. Waiting for you. To come on home. And turn me on. Like the desert, waiting for the rain. Like a school kid, waiting for the spring. I'm just sitting here, waiting for you to come on home. And turn me on. Turn me on."

Somewhere along the way, Eduard ended up giving Raivis a ride home. That turned into walking him to his door, and the two stood awkwardly as Raivis opened his door and stood there, waiting for Eduard to say something while trying to come up with the courage to talk himself.

Eduard was the first to break the silence. "Well, then. I better go."

Raivis looked at the ground. "OK."

Eduard hesitated. "Good night."

Raivis looked up and forced a smile. "Good night."

Eduard kissed Raivis on the cheek, and Raivis turned his head to make it a real kiss. It was short and passionate, and when they parted, neither wanted to leave. "Actually... I don't have to go."

Raivis smiled. "Right. Good."

"I mean..." Eduard took a step back.

Raivis fidgeted with his keys as he tried to find the right words. "No, that's good. Just, erm, would you excuse me for one second?"

Eduard looked a little confused, but nodded anyways. "Sure."

"Just one second." He handed Eduard his keys and walked around the corner, where he proceeded to silently scream and jump around like a schoolgirl. "Erm, OK, that's done. Erm... Why don't you come upstairs in about ten seconds?"

Both of them were equally flustered, and Eduard almost laughed. "Ten seconds."

"Ten seconds."

Raivis ran upstairs to tidy up his loft, throwing things around to make it look less like a mess and more like a careless young man lived there. As soon as he was done, Eduard was right there at the top of the stairs. He slowly regarded the room while taking his jacket off, setting it on the banister. As soon as their eyes met, they rushed forward and locked lips, sharing in another passionate kiss. Eduard took off his suit jacket, then his shirt, and started on Raivis'. One of the buttons snagged on his pants and Eduard was trying his best to try to untangle it. "Just tug it." Raivis didn't care if his shirt ripped, it was pretty shitty anyways.

"OK." Once it was off, they kissed again, walking back until they hit the bed, where they slowly lowered until Raivis was straddling Eduard. Eduard looked at Raivis above him, pale skin shining in the light coming from the window overhead. "You're beautiful." Their lips met for the third time, and as they moved together, Raivis reached down to undo his pants. Just as he was done with the zipper, his phone rang and the two of them separated, looking at the phone like it was their own personal cockblock. Which it was.

Raivis looked at Eduard regretfully. "I-I'd better answer that." He leaned over to grab the phone, still straddling Eduard, who leaned back on the bed. "Hello. Hi. Hello, darling. No, no, I'm not busy." Eduard looked at Raivis; _was he already in a relationship?_ "No, fire away. Right. Yes, I... I'm not quite sure it's gonna be possible to get the Pope on the phone tonight but... Yes. Yes, I'm sure he's very good at exorcism but..." Raivis moved to get off Eduard, sitting beside him on the bed. "Well, I'm sure... Jon Bon Jovi is as well and I'll definitely look into it. OK? OK, I'll talk to you later. All right, bye- bye." Raivis couldn't look at Eduard. "Sorry about that."

Eduard spoke in a low voice. "No, it's fine."

Raivis felt a spark of panic and looked at Eduard. "It's my brother, Toris. He's not well, he calls a lot."

Eduard hesitated and berated himself mentally. Of course he had to assume the worst… "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's fine. I mean, it's not really fine - it is what it is." Great, now he's rambling. "And sort of there being no parents now and us being over here, it's my job to keep an eye on him. Not my 'job', obviously, I'm glad to do it..."

Eduard smiles in understanding. "That's OK. I mean, life is full of interruptions and complications. So..."

They go back to their previous activities, this time Eduard taking the dominant position above Raivis, when the phone starts to ring again. Raivis looks torn between answering and ignoring it. Eduard looks from the phone to Raivis. "Will it make him better?"

Raivis sighs and shakes his head. "No."

"Then maybe...don't answer."

Raivis smiles, and the phone goes off again. His guilt wins over, and he reaches for the phone. "Hey. How you doing? Right, right. Oh, no, please. Oh, please, please don't, little darling. Between the two of us we'll find the answer and it won't hurt any more. No, no. I'm-I'm not busy. I... Of course, if you want me to come over I will. Mm-hm. OK."

The two of them sat in the silence hanging over them like a cloud, a question cloying their minds. How can they make this work?

 **A/N:**

 **Toris Laurinaitis: Lithuania**


	35. Chapter 35

Yao and Ivan walked about their room, getting ready for bed. Yao sat on their bed as he stripped out of the suit he was wearing. "That was a good night. Though I felt fat, aru."

Ivan walked over to the other side of the bed, sitting down to take his shoes off. "Oh don't be ridiculous."

Yao squeezes out of his dress pants. "It's true, aru. Nowadays the only clothes I can get into were once owned by Pavarotti."

Ivan looks over at Yao, now in nothing but his boxers, and noticed a little chub. "I always think Pavarotti dresses very well."

There's a pause as Yao folds up his suit. "Natalia's very pretty." He looks at Ivan.

Ivan turns to regard Yao, looking him over. "Is she?"

"You know she is, darling. Be careful there, aru." Ivan paused and watched Yao leave the room.


	36. Chapter 36

Raivis sat across from his brother Toris at the mental hospital he lived in. "Have you been watching stuff on TV?"

Toris looks distracted and it takes him a moment to answer. "No…. Every night."

Raivis tries to sound happy. "Oh Good."

"And every day." There's a pause. "The nurses are trying to kill me."

Raivis shakes his head. "Nobody's trying to kill you, babe."

There's another pause, and then Toris throws out a fist, trying to back-hand Raivis. Raivis catches it and a nurse immediately shows up. "Thank you." His arm slips out of their grasp and he tries again, but they grab him. Raivis looks at Toris sadly. "Don't do that, my darling." He nods to the nurse. "Thank you." The nurse walks back to his desk and Raivis sets a hand on Toris' knee, looking him in the eye. "Don't do that." Toris looks like he's feeling guilty, and Raivis rubs his knee comfortingly.


	37. Chapter 37

Ivan stepped out of his office and sighed. "Right. Back at three. Christmas shopping, never an easy or a pleasant task."

Natalia turned in her chair and smiled. "Are you going to get me something?"

Ivan paused. "Er... I don't know, I hadn't thought. Where's Raivis, by the way?"

Natalia smirked and leaned forward. "He couldn't make it in today. Family thing."

Ivan chuckled. "There's a word for hangover I've never heard before. See you later."

Just as he was walking away, Natalia responded. "Yes. Looking forward to it. A lot."

As Ivan walked to the mall to meet up with Yao, a thought occurred to him, and he called up Natalia at work. "So, are you going to give me something?"

On the other end of the line, Natalia sat at her desk, twirling the phone chord in her fingers. "I thought I made it clear last night. When it comes to me, you can have everything."

Ivan made a disgusted face and changed the subject. "So, erm, what do you need? Something along the stationery line? Are you short of staplers?"

Natalia laughed lightly. "No. I don't want something I need. I want something I want. Something pretty."

Ivan hesitated. Something pretty? "Right. Right." He hung up, and just as he put his phone away, he spotted Yao not too far off. "Sorry I'm late - had to drop off Im Yong at rehearsal, aru." They shared a chaste kiss and walked further into the mall. Yao stopped Ivan and turned to him. "Right, listen, you keep yourself occupied for ten minutes while I do the boring stuff for our mothers, aru." Yao laughed as he wondered off, leaving Ivan to his own devices. He found himself wondering over toward the jewelry section where another customer was being helped.

He was looking around at the jewelry when another salesman walked up to him. "Looking for anything in particular, sir?"

"Yes...ahm. That necklace there…" He pointed to a golden heart. "How much is it?"

"It's ￡270."(Roughly $397 USD!)

Ivan deliberated for a second. "Erm, all right. Er, I'll have it."

"Lovely. Would you like it...gift-wrapped?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, all right."

"Lovely. Let me just pop it in the box. There."

Ivan looked over his shoulder. "Look, could we be quite quick?"

The salesman smiled at Ivan. "Certainly, sir. Ready in the flashiest of flashes." He tied a gold bow around the box. "There."

Ivan was getting impatient. "That's great."

The salesman held out a finger. "Not quite finished." He pulled out a clear gift bag.

Ivan shifted from one foot to the other as he looked over his shoulder again. "I don't need a bag; I'll put it in my pocket."

The salesman smiled. "Oh, this isn't a bag, sir."

"Really?" Ivan deadpanned.

"This is so much more than a bag." He proceeded to dump two scoops of candy into the bag with a flourish, taking his time.

"Could we be quite quick, please?"

"Prontissimo." He pulled out a small brown stick."

"What's that?" Ivan was getting exasperated.

"A cinnamon stick, sir."

Ivan looked over his shoulder. Shit, was that Yao? "Actually, I really can't wait."

"You won't regret it, sir."

"Want a bet?" Ivan practically growled.

"'Tis but the work of a moment." He threw the cinnamon into the bag and tied it closed. "There we go. Almost finished."

"Almost finished. Are you gonna dip it in yogurt? Cover it with chocolate buttons?"

"No, sir, we're going to pop it in the Christmas box." The salesman pulled out a gold box.

"I don't want a Christmas box!"

The salesman looks at him confused. "But you wanted it gift-wrapped."

Ivan winced. "I did but..."

"The final flourish."

"Can I just pay?"

"All we need now..."

"Oh, God."

"Is a sprig of holly…"

Ivan slammed his fist into the counter. "No, no, no, no. No fucking holly."

"But sir..."

Ivan could see Yao fast approaching. "Leave it. Leave it, just leave it."

Yao came up to Ivan, who was trying to look like he hadn't just been arguing with a salesman over a box. "Ooh! Loitering around the jewelry section, I see, aru."

Ivan sighed and started walking. "No. I was just looking around."

Yao scoffed. "Don't worry, aru. My expectations are not that high after thirteen years of Mr. Oh-But-You-Always-Love-Scarves…"

Ivan would just have to come back…. And maybe get that salesman fired.


	38. Chapter 38

It was raining heavily in the early morning, one week from Christmas, and Francis stood outside Ralph's flat banging on the door. When Ralph finally answered, Francis greeted him with a warm "Hey!" and walked past him up the stairs.

"What are you doing here mate?"

"Had to rent out my flat to pay for my ticket."

Ralph groaned. "You're not actually going ahead with this genuinely stupid plan?"

Francis laughed. "Bloody am. Think this is full of clothes? Like hell it is. It is chock full of condoms." Ralph rolled his eyes. Francis was such a dumbass sometimes.


	39. Chapter 39

The AD (who is Ralph; PLOT TWIST!) crouched low to see if Lovino was moving right. At the moment, he was supposed to be sucking Antonio's dick. "Excellent. Excellent. Perfect, keep it going."

"Look, erm... sorry for being a bit forward, but you don't mind going for a Christmas drink, do you? I mean, nothing implied. We could just maybe go and see something Christmassy or something. Obviously if you don't want to you don't have to. I was just...I'm rambling now, sorry." Antonio couldn't help it, having Lovino right there, regardless of whether he was actually doing what it looked like he was doing, made him flustered.

Lovino stopped moving for a moment to respond. "No. That would be fine."

Antonio smiled. "Oh, great. Yay!" Later on, as Lovino was straddling Antonio, he brought it up again. "You know, that is really great. Normally, I'm really shy about this sort of thing - takes me ages to get the courage up - so thank you."


	40. Chapter 40

Ivan had just got in from his trip back to the mall, and Yao was there in an instant. "Explain to me again why you're so late, aru?"

Ivan rolled his eyes, hanging his coat on the rack in the hall. "Oh for heaven's sake, Yao - can't a man have any secrets?"

Yao pushed him into the house. "Well, hurry up, we've been waiting for hours, it's the first ever preview, aru." Ivan walked further into the house, disappearing from sight, and Yao looked through his coat pockets. He felt something solid and pulled it out, finding a small box. He opened it and saw the necklace, and his chest tightened. He quickly put it back, hiding his excitement as he followed his husband.

"It was a starry night in ancient Jerusalem and the baby Jesus was in his manger." Lin Yi waved happily at Ivan, who waved back at his daughter from the couch as Yao helped the girl practice for the play.


	41. Chapter 41

Bertram sat in language learning class with other students all learning different languages. To anyone outside, it would seem like a group of people were sitting and talking to themselves while listening to music or something.

"Sherlock Holmes is not a real detective."

"Это путь к железнодорожной станции?/Eto put' k zheleznodorozhnoy stantsii?" _"_ _Is_ _this the way to the train station?"_

"I would like half a pound of cherries."

"I would like a one-day travel card."

"Oh, my God."

Bertram was finding these phrases useless. "Jeg har en forferdelig magesmerter. Det må ha vært på reker." _"I've got a terrible stomachache. It must have been the prawns."_

"Milton Keynes has many roundabouts."

He had to do it, for Lukas. "Min godhet, er dette en veldig stor fisk! Det smaker deilig!" _"My goodness, this is a very big fish! It tastes delicious!"_


	42. Chapter 42

Francis and Ralph were making their way through the terminal, and Ralph was still trying to convince Francis this was a bad idea.

"You'll come back a broken man."

Francis laughs. "Oui, back broken from too much sex! Honhonhonhon~"

"You are on the road to disaster."

"Non, I am on shag highway, heading west. Farewell, failure. America, watch out! Here comes Francis Bonnefoy, and he's got a big dick!"

Hours later, his plane lands in Milwaukee, and he runs into the snow, excited. He flags a taxi. "Take me to a bar."

The taxi driver snorts. "What kind of bar?"

"Just any bar. Just your average American bar."

Francis sits down at a bar stool and the bartender walks up to him. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'd like your finest beer, please."

"Bud coming up."

A young man from across the bar looks up at hearing Francis. "Oh, my God. Are you from France?"

Francis smiles. "Oui."

The man gets up to sit beside him. "Oh... that is so cute. Hi, I'm Feliks. Vash?" Another male walks over, just as hot as the one in front of him, wearing a military-influenced outfit that showed off his figure.

"Yeah? What?"

"This is..." He gestures to Francis, who smiles. "Francis Bonnefoy."

Vash smirks. "Cute name."

Feliks looks at Vash seriously. "Vash. He's from France."

Francis nods. "Yep. Paris."

A look of understanding floods Vash's face. "Oh."

Feliks smiles and nods. "Oh."

Vash looks at Francis. "Wait till Heracles gets here. He's crazy about French guys."

"Uh-huh."

Just then, possibly the cutest, sexiest man walks into the bar in a tight blue t-shirt and a green jacket with fluff lining the inside. "Hey, boys."

Vash smiles at Heracles. "Heracles, come meet Francis. He's from France."

Heracles gets a look in his eyes and walks straight up to Francis, sitting in his lap. "Well, step aside, gentleman. This one's on me." He turns to Francis. "Hey, gorgeous."

A few drinks later, and they're all at least buzzed. The Americans (and the Greek; Francis was quickly corrected in assuming Heracles was born here) were laughing at something Francis said. "That is so funny! What do you call that?"

"Er, bottle."

The three giggle and mimic Francis' accent. "Bottle."

Heracles picks up a straw. "What about this?"

"Er, straw."

The boys share a look. "Straw."

Feliks points at the table. "What about this?"

"Table." Francis states, a little exasperated.

Feliks frowns. "Table. The same."

Vash frowns as well. "Oh, it's the same."

Heracles is quick to change the subject. "Where are you staying?"

"I don't actually know. I'll just check into a motel like in the movies."

Feliks brings his hands up to his face. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God, that is so cute."

Vash looks at Francis seriously. "No, no, no, listen. This may be a bit pushy because we just met you but...why don't you come back and sleep at our place?"

Heracles smirks. "Yeah."

Feliks smiles. "Yeah!"

Francis smiles. "Well, if it's not too much of an inconvenience…"

Heracles smiles. "Hell no! But there's one problem."

Francis pauses. "What?"

Feliks frowns. "Well, we're not the richest of guys, you know. So we just have a little bed and no couch . So you'd have to share with all three of us."

Heracles scoots closer to Francis. "And on this cold, cold night it's going to be crowded and sweaty and stuff."

Vash shrugs. "And we can't even afford pajamas."

Francis raises an eyebrow at the image in his head. "No?"

Feliks has the nerve to look bashful. "This means...we would be naked."

Francis smiles. "Non, non, I think it'd be fine."

"Great."

Heracles pauses. "Erm...The thing that's gonna make it more crowded...Matthew. You haven't met Matthew."

Francis' eyebrows shoot up. "There's a fourth one?"

"Yeah."

Vash pats Francis on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you're totally gonna like him because he is "the sexy one"."

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah."

Francis grins. "Praise the Lord!"

Heracles coos. "Oh, and he's a Christian."

"Cheers." They clink their beers.

 **A/N:**

 **Feliks Lukasiewicz: Poland**

 **Vash Zwingli: Switzerland**

 **Heracles Karpusi: Greece**

 **Matthew Williams: Canada**


	43. Chapter 43

Yao, Ivan, and their children Im Yong and Lin Yi all sat around the Christmas tree. Yao looked at his children. "One present only each tonight, aru. Who's got one for Dad?"

Im Yong raised his hand, excited. "I have."

Ivan smiled. "Net, let Mommy go first."

Im Yong stands up. "I'll get it."

Yao smiles. "No, no, no. I want to choose mine, aru. I think I want...this one." He picks up the one from Ivan that he's been snooping around since he found that box.

Ivan smiles. "I have bought the traditional scarf as well but this is my other, slightly special, personal one."

Yao smiles. "Thank you, aru. That's a real first."

Im Yong and Lin Yi shout, "Rip it!"

Yao smiles and shakes the box. "What is it, aru? I'm going to..." He tries to unfold it carefully, but the anticipation is killing him. "All right, I'll rip it." He pulls at the wrapping paper, only to find a CD case, and not the box he thought he would find. "God, that's a surprise, aru."

Lin Yi leans over to look. "What is it?"

Yao smiles at Ivan, who smiles back. "It's a CD. Joni Mitchell, wow."

"To continue your emotional education." Ivan smiles as if sharing a personal joke.

"Yes. Goodness, aru. That's great."

Ivan smiles fondly. "My brilliant wife."

Yao stands up. "Ha! Yes. Actually, do you mind if I just absent myself for a second, aru? All that ice cream. Er... Darling, could you make sure the kids are ready to go? I'll be back in a minute, aru."

Ivan chuckles. "All right, take it easy."

As Yao runs upstairs, tears in his eyes, he can hear his son chant. "Mine first. Mine."

"Moons and Junes, and Ferris wheels. The dizzy dancing way that you feel as every fairy tale comes real. I've looked at love that way, but now it's just another show, and you leave 'em laughing when you go. And if you care. Don't let them know. Don't give yourself away. I've looked at love. From both sides now. From give and take, and still somehow, it's love's illusions that I recall. I really don't know love. I really don't know love at all. Tears and fears, and feeling proud, to say I love you right out loud. Dreams and schemes, and circus crowds. I've looked at life that way. Oh but now old friends... " Yao listened to Joni Mitchell until the tears stopped, and then carefully cleaned himself up, so as not to draw suspicion. He walked downstairs to find all discarded wrapping paper in the trash, and the kids and Ivan ready to go.

"Oh, my God. It's a miracle, aru. You're all dressed. Come on, come on, come on, we're horribly late. Come on, then, aru. In the car. In the car, aru."


	44. Chapter 44

Berwald and Peter lay on the couch, the crowns of their heads touching as they faced different directions. "H's sh' n't'ced y'u y't?"

Peter shifted so he could see Berwald. "No. But you know the thing about romances - people only get together right at the very end…"

Berwald smiles fondly. "'f c'urse."

Peter sits up. "By the way, I feel bad I never ask you how your love life's going."

Berwald sits up as well, laughing. "Ha! N'. 's y'u kn'w, th't w's a d'ne de'l l'ng 'go. 'nl'ss 'f c'urse, Cl'udi' Sch'ff'r c'lls… 'n wh'ch c'se I w'nt y'u 'ut 'f th's h'use str'ight 'w'y, y'u w'e m'th'rl'ss m'ngr'l."

Peter looks at Berwald. "Oh?"

Berwald shakes his head. "N', n'. W''ll w'nt t' h've s'x 'n 'v'ry r'om, 'ncl'd'ng y'urs."

"It's a rainy Christmas Eve all over the UK and the big question is who is number one on the Radio One chart show tonight? Is it Blue or the unexpected Christmas sensation from Arthur Kirkland? You might have guessed it although you may not believe it. It's Arthur Kirkland." From his flat across the city, Arthur and all of his closest 'friends' cheered, and Arthur stood on his coffee table, fists pumped in the air, already halfway to getting drunk. Alfred cheered, "You are the champion!" and someone shushed him as Arthur picked up the phone.

"Hi, Arthur."

"Hello."

"We're live across the nation and you're number one. How will you be celebrating? "

Arthur laughed. "I don't know. Er, either I could behave like a real rock and roll loser and get drunk with my fat manager..." Everyone in the room laughed and Alfred gave him a look. "Or, when I hang up, I'll be flooded by invitations to a large number of glamorous parties."

The radio host laughed. "Let's hope it's the latter. Here it is. Number one, from Arthur Kirkland, it's Christmas Is All Around."

Arthur scowled. "Oh, Jesus, not that crap again."

A woman in a red dress walked up to Arthur, holding out a cell phone. "Arthur, it's for you, babe."

"Hello. Elton." He looked around the room and got a few whistles in return. "O-Of course. Of course. Send an embarrassingly big car and I'll be there." He hung up and regarded the room of people. "It's gonna be a very good Christmas." Everyone cheered, and Alfred went to go find another beer.


	45. Chapter 45

Antonio and Lovino stood outside Lovino's flat after just getting back from their Christmas Eve drinks. Antonio shifted from foot to foot, unsure what to say, and ended up mumbling a resigned, "Right."

Lovino nodded. "I better be getting inside, actually. My fratello and...yeah."

Antonio nodded. Of course, yes. It's getting a bit cold. Erm... Well, good night."

Lovino smiled; something he rarely did. "Night."

They stood there in silence for a moment. Antonio looked like he wanted to do something, but he just faltered off with a, "Er... Er... OK."

Lovino just sighed and kissed Antonio. " All I want for Christmas... is you. Bastard."

Antonio was flustered. "Right. Thank you. Good. Good night." Lovino walked inside quickly, shutting the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, Antonio jumped up, shouting, "Ha ha ha! Ho."

"Oh, look, everyone, it's Uncle Bertram!" Bertram walked into the house, arms full of presents, and smiled as all the kids came running up to him.

"Hi, Uncle Bertram!"

Suddenly his entire family was there, all warm smiles and cheer, and Bertram couldn't help but think of Lukas. "Yes, oh, splendid. It's lovely to see you all. And, er... I'm off, actually."

"But Bertram, darling."

"Sorry. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." He left the presents and walked out into the night.

"I hate Uncle Bertram!"

"I hate Uncle Bertram."

"I hate Uncle Bertram."

Raivis sat at his desk, finishing some last-minute work. The night wasn't unlike the one those few weeks ago, except this time, when Eduard walked by on his way out, he smiled as he walked by. "Night, Raivis."

Raivis smiled back. "Night Eduard."

"I, er... Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Eduard looked like he wanted to say something, but just then Raivis' phone went off. "Hi, babe, how's it going? Yeah. Is it all party, party, party down there?"

Ludwig sat in his living room, looking through some papers from his briefcase. He came across a stack of cards bundled up – a last task from Feliciano – that had Feliciano's handwriting on them. "read these – random samples!" He smiled sadly and set them aside.

Berwald knocked on Peter's door after waiting downstairs with no response. "P't'r, t'me f'r d'nn'r."

"I'm not hungry."

Berwald sighed. P't'r, 've d'ne ch'ck'n k'b'bs."

"Look at the sign on the door."

The sign read 'I said I'm not hungry'. "R'ght."

Raivis sat in the same seat as last week, wrapping a scarf he made around Toris' neck.

"It's a little long."

Toris reached forward, grabbing Raivis in a hug. Raivis just hugged and smiled back.

 **A/N:**

 **So I thought it only right to keep the Vargas twins as brothers.**

 **Hehehehehehe, Feliciano's brother is a porno stand-in lmaooooooooo**


	46. Chapter 46

Roderich and Elizabeta sat snuggled together on the couch, watching some old Christmas movie, when the door bell rang. Elizabeta got up, patting Roderich's shoulder as she did so. "I'll get it." She opened the door to see Gilbert standing there with a CD player and some signs. "Oh, hi."

From inside the house, Roderich asked, "Who is it?"

Gilbert held up a sign saying, "Tell him it's just some carol singers." Elizabeta laughed. "It's carol singers."

Roderich chuckled. "Give them a quid and tell them to bugger off."

Gilbert set down the CD player and hit play. It began to play Silent Night as if there really were carolers there, and he held up one of the signs.

"WITH ANY LUCK BY NEXT YEAR"

"I'LL BE GOING OUT WITH ONE OF THESE GIRLS" This one had a few pictures of some models, and Elizabeta laughed again.

"BUT FOR NOW, LET ME SAY"

"WITHOUT HOPE OR AGENDA"

"JUST BECAUSE IT'S CHRISTMAS"

"(AND AT CHRISTMAS YOU TELL THE TRUTH)"

"TO ME, YOU ARE PERFECT"

"AND MY WASTED HEART WILL LOVE YOU"

"UNTIL YOU LOOK LIKE THIS…"

The last card had a picture of a mummy, and Elizabeta tried to stifle her laugh, making Gilbert smile.

Elizabeta smiled back. "Merry Christmas."

Silent Night was just ending, and Gilbert turned to walk away. He made it a few feet before Elizabeta ran after him, stopping him in the middle of the street and kissing him. She ran back inside and Gilbert made a promise to himself as he walked away. "Enough. Enough now."


	47. Chapter 47

Alfred sat in his apartment, eating chips and watching Arthur's music video in silence when the doorbell rang. He opened it to find Arthur at the door with a bottle of wine. "What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be at Elton John's."

Arthur hesitated. "Well, I was there for a minute or two and then I had an epiphany."

Alfred looked at Arthur skeptically. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Alfred sighed and let him in. "Come on. Just come up. So what was this epiphany?"

Arthur hesitated. "Erm, it...it was about Christmas."

Alfred looked at him completely deadpan. "You realized that it was all around."

Arthur snorted. "No. I realized that Christmas is the time to be with the people you love."

They sat down on his couch and Alfred turned the TV off. "Right."

"And I realized that, as dire chance and fateful cock-up would have it, here I am, mid-fifties, and without knowing it, I've gone and spent most of my adult life with a chubby employee. And, much as it grieves me to say it, it might be that the people I love are, in fact... you."

Alfred blinked in surprise. "Well, this is a surprise."

Arthur faltered and looked away. "Yeah."

Alfred laughed. "Ten minutes at Elton John's and you're gay as a maypole."

Arthur sighed. "No, look. I'm serious here. I left Elton's and a hefty number of half-naked chicks with their mouths open in order to hang out with you at Christmas."

Alfred shrugged. "Well, Artie..."

Arthur continued on, ignoring him. "It's a terrible, terrible mistake, chubs... but you turn out to be the fucking love of my life. And to be honest, despite all my complaining... we have had a wonderful life." They both huffed a laugh, and there was a pause.

Alfred looked at Arthur. "Well... thank you. I mean, come on, it's been an honour. I feel very proud." He puts out his hand for a handshake.

Arthur scoffs. "Oh, look, don't be a moron." He puts his arms up, and they hug. "Come on, let's get pissed and watch porn." He laughs, and Alfred smiles.


	48. Chapter 48

Ludwig still sat at his coffee table, flipping through papers, and he couldn't keep himself from wondering about the Christmas cards bundled up off to the side. He picked them up and flipped through them, finding half-assed good tidings and completely insincere thanks. He came across one written by Feliciano and paused to read it. _"Dear Sir, Dear David, Merry Christmas and I hope you have a very happy New Year. I'm very sorry about the thing that happened. It was a very odd moment and I feel like a real idiot. Particularly because - if you can't say it at Christmas, when can you, eh? - I'm actually yours. With LOVE. xxx Your Feliciano."_

Ludwig took out his cell, pressing a button and dialing up his chauffer. "Gupta, yeah, I need a car. Right now. Thank you." He grabbed his coat and ran out the door and down the stairs. As he walked out the front door, he told the doorman, "Oh, don't wait up." The doorman nodded. He saw Roma holding his door open. "I'd like to go to Wandsworth, the dodgy end."

The man smiled and nodded. The three men drove down to Wandsworth, and they slowed down as Roma turned to regard Ludwig. "Very good, sir. Harris Street. What number, sir?"

Ludwig nodded. How was he this stupid? "Oh, God, it's the longest street in the world and I have absolutely no idea." The men got out and walked up to the nearest house. Ludwig rang the doorbell and waited.

An old woman who looked to be in her late seventies answered the door. "Hello, does Natalie live here?"

The woman shook her head. "No."

Ludwig sighed. "Right, fine, thank you. Sorry to disturb." He turned to leave when the woman called out to him.

"Here, aren't... Aren't you the Prime Minister?"

Ludwig smiled. "Er, yes. In fact, I am. Merry Christmas."

"Oh."

Ludwig nodded. "Part of the service now. Trying to get round everyone by New Year's Eve."

They moved on to the next house, where a couple of kids answered the door. "Ah. Hello. Does Natalie live here?"

One of the kids, the oldest, Ludwig assumed, shook his head. "No, she doesn't."

"Oh dear. OK."

"Are you singing carols?"

Ludwig chuckled. "Er, no. No, I'm not."

"Please, sir, please. Please."

Ludwig sighed. "Well, I suppose I could."

"Please."

"All right…. Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen. When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. Brightly shone the moon that night-"

They tried another house. "Hello. Sorry to disturb. Does Natalie live here?"

Natalia smiled. "No. She lives next door."

Ludwig nodded. Finally getting somewhere. "Ah. Brilliant."

Natalia smirked at Ludwig. "You're not who I think you are, are you?"

Ludwig smiles apologetically. "Yes and I'm sorry about all the cock-ups. My cabinet is absolute crap. We hope to do better next year. Merry Christmas to you."

Ludwig rang the doorbell of Natalie's house, readying himself for anything. The door opened, and it seemed as though everyone and their mother answered the door. At the front of the mob stood a very grouchy, slightly darker version of Feliciano. Well, he wasn't prepared for that. "Ah. Hello. Is, er, Feliciano in?"

From upstairs, a shout of, "Fratello, where the fuck is my coat?" And then there he was. Feliciano. He looked up and noticed Ludwig standing there and blushed. "Oh. Hello."

Ludwig smiled. "Hello."

Feliciano pushed to the front of the group. "Erm, this is my fratello and his boyfriend Antonio and our cousins from Italy!"

Antonio smiles brightly, waving at Ludwig. "Hola~."

Ludwig smiled politely. "Very nice to meet you."

"And, erm...this is the Prime Minister."

"Yes, we can see that, dumbass." The one who looked like Feliciano, his brother, said.

"And erm, unfortunately, we're very late."

"It's the school Christmas concert, you see, Ludwig! And it's the first time all the local schools have joined together, even St Basil's, which is most…"

"Too much detail, Antonio."

"Anyway, the fuck you want?"

Ludwig was taken aback. "Well, I...just needed Natalie... on some state business."

Antonio smiled pleasantly. "Oh."

"Right. Of course. Fine... just come on later, fratello."

Ludwig faltered. "I don't want to make you late for the concert."

Feliciano smiled. "No, it's nothing, really."

"Keith'll be very disappointed~."

Feliciano gave Antonio a look. "No, really, it doesn't matter."

"The octopus costume's taken me fucking months. Eight is a lot of legs, Ludwig."

Ludwig nods, a little lost. "Mm. Erm... Listen, why don't I give you a lift and then we can talk about this state business… business in the car."

Feliciano smiles brightly. "OK."

"Lovely, yes."

Feliciano's brother scowls. "Thanks."

The cop car that followed Ludwig there took most of the family, leaving Ludwig and Feliciano with Keith between them in his octopus costume. The cop started up the car, calling. "Hold tight, everybody."

Ludwig glanced out the window. "How far is this place?"

Feliciano smiled, kicking his feet back and forth like a kid. "Just round the corner."

Ludwig couldn't help but smile. "Ah, right. Well, er... I just wanted to say... thank you for the Christmas card."

Feliciano smiles and blushes lightly. "You're welcome. Look, I'm so sorry about that day. I came in and he slinked towards me and there was a fire and he's the President of the United States and nothing happened, I promise. I just felt like such a fool because... I think about you all the time, actually. And I think you're the man that I really –"

The car stopped and Keith jumped up. "We're here."

"….Love."

Ludwig leans back as Keith tries to get out. "Oh, wow. That really was just round the corner." Keith gets stuck and Ludwig helps maneuver him out of the car, and Roma shuts the door behind him, giving the two some space. "Well, look, l... I think I'd better not come in, you know? The last thing anyone wants is some sleazy politician stealing the kids' thunder."

Feliciano frowned. "No, please come. It'll be great."

Ludwig gave Feliciano an apologetic look. "No, I...I better not. But I will be very sorry to drive away from you."

There was a pause, and then Feliciano smiled. "Just give me one second…" He got out of the door and started jogging toward the school.

Gilbert had agreed to meet up with Antonio and his new boyfriend Lovino at the school, and they were now walking into the auditorium together. Gilbert looked at Lovino. "Antonio's been very mysterious. Where did you two meet?"

Antonio hesitated. "Erm...erm..."

Lovino's face turned deep red. "Um...um..."

Berwald stepped out of his car and walked to the other side where Peter was. He looked at him for a second before reaching out to fix his hair. Peter swatted his hands away, getting embarrassed. "No!"

Elsewhere, Bertram just got out of the airport at Marseille Province, and was in a hurry to find a cab. There was one parked right outside and he rushed forward, his hand wrapping around the door handle, just as a woman did the same. He smiled awkwardly and opened the door for her. As the cab drove away, he swore. Another one came up behind it and he was quick to get in.

Feliciano tapped on the car window, getting Ludwig's attention. "Come on in. We can watch from backstage."

Ludwig smiled. "OK. Roma, I won't be long." He got out of the car and headed for the auditorium, trying to duck from view. "Look, this has to be a very secret visit, OK?"

Feliciano laughs. "Don't worry. This was my school. I know my way around. Come on."

Yao walked at a quick pace through the halls, rushing Lin Yi and Im Yong through the school. "Look, the sheep are ready already and you're not even - !" He stops quickly when he nearly runs into Feliciano and Ludwig. "Oh, Ludwig, aru."

Ludwig smiles and hugs Yao. "Ah! Oh, how are you? Hi, guys. Hey, hey, hey. Are you all right?"

Yao lets him go and takes a step back, getting a good look at him. "What the hell are you doing here, aru?"

Ludwig stumbled over his words. "Well, you know...I…"

Yao looks like he's about to faint. "I always tell your secretary's secretary's secretary these things are going on - but it never occurred to me you'd actually turn up aru…"

Ludwig straightens up. "Well, I thought it was time I did. I didn't want anyone to see, so I'm gonna hide somewhere. Good luck, Lin Yi, good luck, Im Y

Yao smiles, sighing. "I've never been gladder to see my stupid big brother, aru. Thank you."

Ludwig rolls his eyes. "All right."

Yao seems to finally take notice of the other two people with Ludwig. "Oh, now. We haven't been introduced, aru."

Ludwig turns to the man standing behind him. "Right. Well, this is Gavin."

Yao smiles at him. "Hello, Gavin."

"My copper. And this is Feliciano, who's my, erm..." Ludwig falters. What is he to Ludwig? "Who's my, erm, catering manager."

Yao looks surprised. "Oh."

Feliciano smiles, waving. "Hi."

Yao laughs. "Catering manager. Watch he keeps his hands off you. 20 years ago, you'd have been his type."

Feliciano's smile changes slightly. "I'll be very careful." He turns to Ludwig. "Don't try something, sir, just because it's Christmas."

Yao laughs again. "No, seriously." The bell rings, making everyone jump, and Yao turns to his kids. "Come on. Showtime. Quickly. Look, see you after, yeah?"

Ludwig smiles. "Probably."

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

"It's all right."

Feliciano playfully slaps his shoulder, getting his attention. "Come on!"

Ludwig nods. "Right."

 **A/N:**

 **So Seborga doesn't have a canon name, or even any speculative ones, and I wanted to include him. So we're all going to pretend his human name is Keith today.**


	49. Chapter 49

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. Save it for a rainy day." Berwald looked back at Yao and Ivan, and the three of them tried not to laugh. They couldn't decide if this was just really cute or kind of ridiculous. "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. Never let it fade away. Never let it fade away. Never let it fade away!" The audience cheered, and the kids took a bow.

A man came out with a mic and set it on center stage, and the cheering quieted down. "Hillier School would now like to present their Christmas number. Lead vocals by ten-year-old Tina Anderson, backing vocals coordinated by her mother, the great Mrs. Jean Anderson. Erm, some of the staff has decided to help out and for this, we ask you to forgive us." The man smiles and some of the audience laughs. "Thank you."

The lights go out, and a spotlight comes up on a beautiful African American on center stage. "I don't want a lot for Christmas. There's just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents. Underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas. Is you." Peter starts on the drums, and the other musicians join in. The lights come up to reveal a chorus line dancing in the background. "I don't want a lot for Christmas. There's just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents. Underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you. You baby."

Backstage, Ludwig and Feliciano see someone approach where they're hiding and run off to a different part of the stage. "Oh, all the lights are shining. So brightly everywhere. And the sound of children's laughter fills the air. Laughter fills the air. Everyone is singing. Oh yeah. I hear those sleigh bells ringing. Santa won't you bring me my honey. Won't you please bring my baby to me? I don't want a lot for Christmas. This is all I'm asking for. All I'm asking for. I just wanna see my baby. Standing right outside my door. Cos I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know. You will ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas. Is you." Tina turns around and points to Peter, who smiles, never losing a beat while he plays the drums. From the audience, Berwald smiles. "All I want for Christmas. And you and you. And you and you. All I want for Christmas. All I want for Christmas."

The song ends, and the entire audience is standing and clapping as everyone on stage bows. Suddenly the back curtains open up to show a display of the Merry Christmas sign and the clapping stops as everyone takes in the sight before them.

Ludwig Beilschmidt, the Prime Minister of The United Kingdom of Great Britain, is kissing a small Italian.

They can feel the light on them and they look up, a look of shock plastered on their faces.

"Right." People were snapping pictures, and other's mouths were agape as they tried to wrap their mind around Ludwig's presence at a school concert. "So, not quite as secret as we'd hoped."

Feliciano laughs. "What do we do now?"

Ludwig looks at the audience. "Smile." They both smile. "Take a bow." They hold hands and bow, Feliciano trying his hardest not to laugh. "And a wave." The audience starts cheering again and Feliciano can't help but laugh. He runs off stage before he can make a bigger fool of himself and Ludwig gives one last wave before following him.


	50. Chapter 50

Ivan waited patiently as Yao talked to some of the audience members. They were trying to figure out why the Prime Minister was there, and they were asking Yao because he helped organize the concert. "Absolutely no idea, aru. I mean, can you imagine? I'll see you later, all right? I'll speak to you. Bye, aru."

Yao walks away, and Ivan takes that as a sign that they can start heading for the door. From a few paces behind him, he hears, "Tell me, if you were in my position, what would you do, aru?"

Ivan turns around, confused. "What position is that?"

Yao continues on with a completely straight face. "Imagine your husband bought a gold necklace and, come Christmas, gave it to somebody else."

Ivan instantly understood and looked at Yao with a hurt expression. "Oh, Yao..."

"Would you wait around to find out..."

A woman walked up and gave Yao a "Good night."

"Night, darling. Happy Christmas, aru." He turned back to Ivan. "Would you wait around to find out if it's just a necklace or if it's sex and a necklace or if, worst of all, it's a necklace and love, aru?" He looks up at Ivan, tears in his eyes. "Would you stay? Knowing life would always be a little bit worse, aru? - Or would you cut and run?"

Ivan groans, putting his head in his hands. "Oh, God. I am so in the wrong. A classic fool."

Yao's voice is strained as he replies. "Yes, but you've also made a fool out of me, aru. You've made the life I lead foolish, too." He turns and finds Lin Yi and Im Yong and he puts on a smile, throwing his arms up as he approaches them. "Darling. Ooh, darlings! Oh, you were wonderful, aru. My little lobster, you were so... What is that word, aru?" He looks at the costume Lin Yi is carrying. "Orange!" Lin Yi laughs and Yao stands up, herding them toward the door. "Come on, I've got treats at home, aru. Dad's coming."


	51. Chapter 51

Berwald comes bursting through the door and runs up to Peter, enveloping him in a hug. "P't'r! F'nt'st'c sh'w! Cl'ss'c dr'mm'ng, s'n."

Peter smiles half-heartedly. "Thanks. Plan didn't work, though."

Berwald holds Peter back by his shoulders. "T'll h'r, th'n."

Peter looks at Berwald, confused. "Tell her what?"

"Th't y'u l've h'r." Berwald says in a way that portrays the thought, _Isn't it obvious?_

Peter shakes his head. "No way. Anyway, they fly tonight."

Berwald stands up. "'v'n b'tt'r. P'te, y'u've g't n'th'ng t' l'se 'nd y'u'll 'lw'ys r'gr't 't 'f y'u d'n't. I n'v'r t'ld y'ur m'm 'n'ugh. I sh'uld h've t'ld h'm 'v'ry d'y b'c'use h' w's p'rf'ct 'v'ry d'y. Y'u've s'en th' f'lms, k'ddo. 't 'in't 'v'r t'll 't's 'v'r."

Peter deliberates for a moment, then nods. "OK, Dad." Berwald's chest swells. "Let's do it. Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love." He looks up at Berwald and smiles.

Berwald laughs. "Yes."

"Just give me one sec."

Berwald nods. "Ye'h." Peter turns and runs in the direction Berwald came from. Berwald turns to follow and bumps into someone, taking a step back to get his bearings. He sees the woman he ran into and apologizes. "Oh, 'm s'rry."

The woman smiles, "Sorry."

Berwald smiles back at her politely, "Th't's 'K. My f'ult."

The woman waves a hand, slightly flustered. "No, no, really, it wasn't. You're Peter's dad, aren't you?"

Berwald nods. "Ye'h. St'pd'd, 'ctu'lly. B'rw'ld." He holds out a hand and she takes it.

"I'm Carol."

Berwald smiles, giving her hand a firm shake. "C'r'l."

Just then, Peter comes running back. "OK, I'm back. Let's go."

Berwald looks down at Peter and smiles. "Ye'h. W'll... I h'pe w'll m'et 'g'in, K'r'n."

"Carol." She laughs anyways. "I'll make sure we do."

Berwald nods. "Ye'h? G'd." Carol laughs again and walks away.

Peter nudges him and smiles. "Tell her."

Berwald looks at Peter, confused. "Wh't?"

Peter's smile grows. "You know..." He winks, and Berwald nudges him back. "D'n't b' s'ch 'n 'rse."

Peter looks up and points. "Look, there she is!"

Berwald looks around. "Wh're?"

Peter points at Tina again. "Over there." Just as Berwald finds her, she gets into a car. "Oh, no."

Berwald pats Peter's shoulder and leads him to their car. "'t's 'K, w'll g' t' th' 'irp'rt. I kn'w a sh'rt c't."


	52. Chapter 52

Bertram pulls up in the taxi in front of Lukas' place and gets out, rushing to the door. He rings the doorbell, pulse humming in his ears. A portly man answers the door and Bertram smiles politely. "God kveld, Bondevik?" _"Good evening. Mr. Bondevik?"_

The man nods apprehensively. "Ja."

Bertram pauses for a moment, trying to remember how to say what he wanted to say. "Jeg er her for å spørre din datter for hennes hender i ekteskapet." _"I am here to ask your daughter for her hands in marriage."_

The man snorted. He could tell Bertram didn't know Norwegian very well. He thought about what Bertram said, and looked up at him, confused. "Du ønsker å gifte seg med datteren min?" _"You want to marry my daughter?"_

Bertram nodded resolutely. "Ja." _"Yes."_

A portly girl, looking not unlike her father, walked by at that exact moment. "Kom her, det er en mann på døren. Han ønsker å gifte deg." _"Come here, there is a man at the door. He wants to marry you."_

The girl walked forward, obviously confused. Bertram was just as confused, if not more, as he listened to their conversation. "Men jeg har aldri sett ham før." _"But I've never seen him before."_

The man shrugged. "Hvem bryr seg?" _"Who cares?"_

The girl looked angry. "Du kommer til å selge meg til en fullstendig fremmed?!" _"You're going to sell me to a complete stranger?!"_

"Selge? Hvem sa selge? Jeg betaler ham!" _"Sell? Who said sell? I'll pay him!"_

Bertram cleared his throat. "Unnskyld meg. Jeg vil si den andre ... barn – Lukas." _"Pardon me. I'm meaning your other… child – Lukas."_

The man made an understanding noise and nodded. "Han er ikke her - han er på jobb. Jeg skal ta deg." _"He's not here - he's at work. I'll take you."_ He pointed at the girl. "Du! Bli her." _"You! Stay here."_

The girl stomped her foot. "Som om jeg ville. Dum! Far er i ferd med å selge Lukas som slave til denne danske mannen." _"As if I would. Stupid! Father is about to sell Lukas as a slave to this Danish man."_ She pushed past the two men and started to walk down the street. "Du bedre ikke si ja, far." _"You better not say yes, Father."_

The man scoffed and caught up to his daughter, Bertram rushing to follow. "Hold kjeft, Miss Dunkin' Donut 2003." _"Shut up, Miss Dunkin' Donut 2003."_


	53. Chapter 53

When Berwald and Peter got to the airport, Tina's flight was already boarding. They hurried as fast as they could to the terminal. When they reached it, they were stopped by a man. Berwald sighed and looked down at the man. "L'ok, w're n't 'ct'ally fly'ng." The man shook his head. "You can't come through."

"N't 'v'n t' l't th' b'y s'y g'odb'e t' th' l've 'f h's l'fe?"

The man leveled a stare at Berwald. "No."

Berwald sighed and turned to Peter, shrugging. "'m s'rry, P't'r."

Just then, another man walked up, searching his pack and his pockets. "Boarding pass, sir?"

The man held up a finger, still searching. "Just give me a moment, I know I've got it here - if you'd just - could you hold that for a second. There we go - now - it's - if you could just hang on to this…" Berwald watched the man, and was surprised when the stranger turned slightly and winked at him. Berwald could plainly see the ticket poking out of his back pocket, and he smiled.

"'nl'ss..."

Peter looked up at him. "What?"

"D' y'u w'nt t' m'ke a r'n f'r 't?"

"Hold on to that."

Peter's eyes widened. "Do you think I should?"

Berwald smiled. "Ye'h."

"OK."

Peter hesitated for a second, and as the man at the desk was helping the other man find his ticket, Peter ran past them. "Y's!"

The man took his things back from the airport employee and shrugged. "I must have left them where I was having a cup of coffee. I'm sorry."

Peter turned the corner and saw the security checkpoint. He froze for a moment before sprinting up to the metal detector and jumping over a security officer as the man bent down. Other security officers in the area saw this and immediately started running after him, but he had a head start, and was slightly faster. He ran past shops and dodged people, all while making the officers look like fools. He reached Gate 36 and looked around, and he spotted Tina at the front. He snuck past security as the only three there turned to watch Arthur shake his naked ass on live television. Just as Tina got to the door, Peter caught up to her.

"Tina."

The girl turned around, looking slightly confused. "Peter?"

Peter smiles. "I thought you didn't know my name."

Tina laughed. "Course I do!"

Peter heard footsteps and turned. The security had caught up with him. "Oh Jesus. Here, I've got to run."

When Peter came out of the airport, escorted by security, Berwald had the biggest smile on his face. The men left, and Berwald nodded at Peter, making the boy confused. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around. There, right in front of him, was Tina. Before he could say anything, she kissed him on the cheek and ran off. Peter just turned to face Berwald and the two shared a smile. Peter rushed up to Berwald and jumped into his arms, being spun around by the bigger man.

Lukas' father had led Lukas' sister and Bertram through town to the restaurant he worked at. Somewhere along the way, it seemed as though they had picked up half of the district. The three of them walked into the restaurant, while everyone else who tagged along hung around the door. Bertram walked up to the front desk and confronted the man. "Hvor er Lukas?" _"Where is Lukas?"_

The man shrugged. "Hvorfor skal jeg fortelle deg?" _"Why should I tell you?"_

Lukas' father stood beside Bertram. "Denne mannen ønsker å gifte seg med ham." _"This man wants to marry him."_

The man behind the counter looked affronted. "Han kan ikke gjøre det - han er vår beste servitør." " _He can't do that - he's our best waiter."_

Bertram looked around the restaurant, and noticed Lukas on the second floor. Lukas looked up from serving a two topper (table of two) and noticed Bertram, along with his family and half of his neighborhood. He walked hlafway down the stairs and stopped. Bertram smiled. "God kveld, Lukas." _"Good evening, Lukas."_

Lukas nodded. "God kveld, Bertram." _"Good evening, Bertram."_

"Vakker Lukas ... Jeg har kommet hit med sikte på å spørre deg ... til ekteskap meg. Jeg vet at jeg synes en sinnssyk person fordi jeg kjenner deg knapt, men noen ganger ting er så åpenhet, de trenger ikke bevismessig bevis. Og jeg vil bebo her, eller du kan bebo med meg i England." _"Beautiful Lukas... I've come here with a view to asking you...to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person because I hardly knows you but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England."_

Everyone there who could speak Norwegian looked torn between hitting Bertram upside the head and patting him on the back for trying. Obviously he needed more Norwegian lessons.

Lukas' sister rolled her eyes. "Definitivt gå til England, girl. Du vil møte Prince William -Da du kan gifte seg med ham i stedet." _"Definitely go to England, girl. You'll meet Prince William -then you can marry him instead."_

Bertram scowled and continued. "Selvfølgelig jeg ikke forventer at du skal være så tåpelig som meg, og selvfølgelig jeg prediksjon du sier nei ... men det er jul, og jeg ville bare ... sjekk." _"Of course I don't expecting you_ _to be as foolish as me, and of course I prediction you say no... but it's Christmas_ _and I just wanted to...check."_

"Å Gud - si ja, du radmager idiot." " _Oh, God - say yes, you skinny moron."_

Lukas smiled and nodded. "Thank you. That will be nice. Yes is being my answer. Easy question."

Lukas' dad peeked over Bertram's shoulder (he's short). "Hva sa du?" _"What did you say?"_

"Ja, selvfølgelig." " _Yes, of course."_

Bertram smiled up at Lukas. "You learned English?"

Lukas smiled in return. "Just in cases."


	54. Chapter 54

A month later, Arthur is in the airport. The doors open, and Alfred gives him a hug. A woman in revealing clothing is pulling a suitcase, and Alfred walks up to her, sticking out his hand. "Hello, Daisy!"

Arthur leans over. "This one's Greta."

Alfred laughs and nods. "Hello, Greta."

Bertram and Lukas are just returning from visiting his family in Norway. To greet them at the gate are Bertram's friends Elizabeta, Roderich, and Gilbert. Elizabeta runs up to them, dragging Roderich behind her. She hugs Lukas while Bertram and Roderich shake hands. "Well, here he is. This is Lukas. This is Elizabeta, Roderich..." Gilbert walks up at a much slower pace and gives Bertram a fist bump. "Oh, Gilbert, hi, didn't see you there."

Gilbert shrugs, smirking. "Yeah, just thought I'd tag along."

Lukas laughs. "Bertram's friends are so good-looking. He never tells me this. I think maybe now I have made the wrong choice, picked wrong Danish man."

Bertram laughs nervously. "He can't speak English properly. He doesn't know what he's saying."

Ivan had taken a sabbatical of sorts. Yao needed some space after all the drama from Christmas, but now Ivan is back home, and his family is picking him up at the airport. As he walks up, Lin Yi runs up to him and hugs him. "Dad! Dad!"

Ivan picks her up, grunting somewhat. "Oh, God."

"Did you get us any presents?"

"Matter of fact, I did."

Im Yong smiles from beside Yao. "Thanks, Dad."

Ivan looks at Yao. "How are you?"

Yao smiles and shrugs. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Good to have you back. Come on. Home."

When Peter heard that Tina was coming back to the UK, he dragged his friend Sebastian along with him. Sebastian was, coincidentally, Carol's (from the school concert)son, so they were happy to join.

Tina walked through the terminal, and smiled when she spotted Peter. Peter waved and nudges Sebastian. "There she is."

Peter runs up to her, smiling. "Hi."

"Hello."

Bertram sighs. "'w, h' sh'uld h've k'ssed h'r."

Carol laughs, shrugging. "No, that's cool."

Ralph waits for Francis, who is supposed to be coming back from America today. As he waits in the thick crowd, he gets spotted by a familiar face. He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to see Antonio and Lovino. "Hey. What are you two doing here?"

Antonio waggles his eyebrows. "I might get a shag at last."

Lovino scowls. "Bastard."

Antonio laughs. "Got to go."

Lovino waves half-heartedly as he's dragged off by the Spaniard. "Bye."

Not a moment later, Francis walks through the terminal with a young man with wavy hair in tow. "Honhonhon! Now, this is Matthew."

Matthew smiles meekly and holds out a hand. "Hi. Really pleased to meet you."

Ralph smiles and takes the offered hand. "Hello, Matthew."

Matthew shifts his stance. "I hope you don't mind, I sort of brought my brother to stay… This is Vincent. He's real friendly."

Just then, another boy walks in. He looks much like Matthew, except with shorter, more tamed hair, and dressed much more refined. Ralph's first thought is " _Oh no, he's hot!"_ "Hello, you must be Ralph. I heard you were gorgeous."

Ludwig returns from a political trip overseas to a crowd of cameras and press. Feliciano runs through the crowd, even pushing a reporter out of the way, and hugs Ludwig, wrapping his arms and legs around him. "God, you weigh a lot." Ludwig teases, smiling.

Feliciano lightly smack's Ludwig's back, laughing. "Oh, shut your face." He lets go, and they walk out of the airport smiling, arm in arm.

Whether you're brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles, wives or husbands, or best friends, I've found that no matter the distance and no matter what they've done, once you can hold them in your arms again, it's as if they never left. Love grows fonder with the distance, as they say. And I think that really just proves that love is all around.

 **A/N:**

 **Vincent : Ontario (in Canada)**


End file.
